


To Hook A Star

by A_Freesia_s_Orchid



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Kuroo Tetsurou, Alpha Sawamura Daichi, Alpha Shimizu Kiyoko, Alpha Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Alpha Tsukishima Kei, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Ennoshita Chikara, Beta Yachi Hitoka, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Harassment, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Kozume Kenma, Omega Sugawara Koushi, Omega Yamaguchi Tadashi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:54:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 43,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28628358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Freesia_s_Orchid/pseuds/A_Freesia_s_Orchid
Summary: Yamaguchi ran away. It was an irrational decision he had after discovering he was pregnant. Him and Tsukishima weren't in a romantic relationship and the pack wasn't as close as he thought after high school, with a few living in different countries. He never thought he'd meet up with Kenma along the way and the two formed a friendship due to their circumstances.
Relationships: Ennoshita Chikara/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 146
Kudos: 413





	1. Chapter 1

His body felt lighter. Less of the overwhelming warmth accompanied by his heat and more of the cold air coming from the air condition, with its breeze waking him up, bit by bit. Yamaguchi groans, feeling the sore sensation from his muscles, his hips ache and neck numb from the multiple shallow bites Tsukishima had committed throughout the cycle. It was dangerous, letting an alpha who was sober to do such a thing but he let the Tsukishima do what he thought was best for the two. 

It eases the instinct to mate, providing a temporary reassurance that Yamaguchi knew his omega would be fooled from. Still, once he gathered his thoughts, it seems the pain follows. Another unsuccessful bonding. 

Yamaguchi sighed, groggy but progressively alert of his surroundings. His vision was slightly blurry but he didn't need much clarity to observe the alpha’s face in front of his. The quiet snores from the slightly gaping mouth with the lips bruised from kisses and neck covered in bites like his own. Yamaguchi can’t help but look over each one, the color darker than his own. 

He extended a finger, hesitant but nevertheless persistent, and planted it on top of the bite mark lighter than the rest. Tsukishima simply muttered something under his breath, his brows furrowed and his body shuffled closer to Yamaguchi’s, who felt hands wrapped around his waist. He was pulled closer, tucked underneath the alpha’s chin and his finger has managed to move away from the bite. 

He failed.

“What are you doing?” Tsukishima’s voice was raspy, probably from the sex. Maybe from the stress of taking care of him during his heat. Yamaguchi doesn’t exactly have a concrete answer. 

And he doesn’t answer the alpha’s question but rather tries to get out of Tsukishima’s hold, wanting to sit up from the bed. However, Tsukishima didn’t cater to his idea and inhaled his scent on top of his head, he felt the alpha’s lips pressed against his hair and the hums that came after. The alpha didn’t let him go and instead moved his hands wherever it pleased, from Yamaguchi’s back to his neck. 

Even lightly cupping his butt cheek which he voices out a yelp. 

“Tsu-tsukki!” Tsukishima chuckled and Yamaguchi felt the vibration, chest to chest. His toes curled, letting himself be engulfed in the afterglow. His legs were completely wrapped with Tsukishima’s.

“It’s Kei, Tadashi,” Tsukishima corrected and Yamaguchi’s chin was cupped with the alpha’s fingers, his head was gently raised to face him, eye to eye. “Kei.” 

The glint in Tsukishima’s eyes were indescribable however the alpha’s pheromones indicated another, Yamaguchi was completely engulfed with Tsukishima’s pleasure and the easy-going nature of it all. Yamaguchi wasn’t confused by the behavior when it has been the constant attitude the alpha had expressed throughout each cycle of his heat. It was like his cycle had flipped a switch in the alpha’s mind, although Tsukishima, both pre and post heat, wasn’t any different from how he is now. 

The alpha became less distant throughout their high school, less salty as Hinata says. Tsukishima had finally let go of his past disappointment from his brother and acknowledged his love for volleyball. He even became a middle blocker for the V. League Division 2 team, the Sendai Frogs. Although, he still puts on a cool act in public, displaying a mysterious and serious vibe that has managed to catch some fans’ attention. Yamaguchi didn’t mind the fangirls and fanboys that came to the matches just for the alpha’s looks and personality, he usually puffed his chest with pride at how far his friend has come. 

Tsukishima smiled at him, his expression softened. His head bent down and placed a kiss on Yamaguchi’s lips, it wasn’t deep and it didn’t even try to. The kiss only lasted for a couple of seconds and, as they drifted apart, Yamaguchi witnessed the alpha licking his lips and he suddenly felt heated at the sight. 

“It’s Kei, ‘Dashi,” Tsukishima said once more. 

“Okay,” Yamaguchi replies back, “Kei.” 

Tsukishima quickly planted a peck on his forehead. The sensation lingered, letting the alpha’s damp lips engraved into a memory. Yamaguchi thinks his brain stopped working after that, trying to process the gesture and its intent when he knew it was simply influenced by the intimacy they exchanged from his heat. No more, no less. And just like his cycle, it will end. Tsukishima untangles Yamaguchi from the embrace, the blanket flows away from his body and the alpha is bare for him to see. 

Yamaguchi’s eyes followed Tsukishima, staring at the muscles the alpha accumulated from the exercise regimen and diet he had to follow. Yamaguchi greatly admired the wide expanse of the alpha’s back, the skin folded and creases from the stretching the alpha was doing in front of him. Then, his gazes focus on the scratch marks, grimacing but overall pleased to mark something that wasn’t his. His omega urged to voice out the satisfaction but Yamaguchi cleared his throat, trying to abstain from the instinct. 

The alpha looks back at him and Yamaguchi sits up in surprise. “Are you okay, Tadashi?” Tsukishima questions, worried. 

“Ah, yes!” Yamaguchi answers with a smile. “My throat’s dry, I guess.” 

“I’m going to the kitchen and make breakfast,” he added in a haste and got out of the bed. He took the underwear he found on the floor and wore it, the garment loosely hanging on his hips. He laughed it off and immediately excused himself out of the bedroom. “You can use the bathroom first, Tsu-Kei!” 

He heard Tsukishima shout his agreement, his voice was muffled by the closed door but even then, Yamaguchi wasn’t deterred from making an exit. The walk from the bedroom to the kitchen didn’t take long and he hurried grabbing pots and pans from the cupboard. He grabbed ingredients from the fridge and turned on the stove to heat up the oil on the pan. Eggs and bacon were easiest to cook in a rush and he opted to heat up some bread rather than cooking rice. Coffee was made for Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had his green tea. Plates and chopsticks were spread out on the dining table and he sighed, completing his task in a short amount of time. 

He stretched his arms wide, tip-toeing. Yamaguchi exhaled afterwards and the soles of his feet planted back to the wooden floor once more. He walked over to the living room and pushed the drapes of the mini balcony to the sides, the heat of the sun hit his skin nicely. He missed it actually. He was stuck inside the bedroom for four days, the window hid behind its curtains as requested he had years ago. Unfortunately, the reason was forgotten. 

“Smells good, Yamaguchi.” His attention snapped to his behind, observing Tsukishima walking to the kitchen. The alpha wore a white shirt and shorts, Tsukishima was barefooted and there was a towel hanging on his shoulders. 

Yamaguchi acts oblivious at the name change. He went back to the kitchen and saw the alpha sitting down on one of the chairs and so he did the same with the other. He felt the alpha knee against his own, brushing lightly, Tsukishima’s skin cooler than his own. It was probably from the shower or maybe Yamaguchi still had the effects from the heat. He wonders for a moment until the alpha motions him to start their prayer before eating. 

-

Yamaguchi likes his job. It wasn’t exciting or boring and it pays fairly well for an omega like him. He also thought that the office would be cramped with cubicles, steel cabinets placed in every corner and the sounds of the fax machine buzzing each minute. Instead, the area was sleek, mostly in the shades of gray, black and white. Plants were a common decoration with a few succulents perched on shelves attached on the walls. The smell of coffee was prominent, especially with the brand new coffee machine in the break room, which was heavily used by his colleagues. A long table shared by employees of six with a partition in the middle were the replacement of the cubicles and all of it are arranged near the glass curtain windows of the office. He took his place on the third table. 

There wasn’t even a requirement to wear the typical office attire with the slack pants, black pointed shoes and a tucked in dress shirt. So, Yamaguchi seeks comfort with a simple shirt and jeans. His shoes were worn out from wear but it was enough to alleviate his soles from walking. He didn’t forget his ID hanging around his neck either. 

He sat down on his office chair, placing his backpack behind him and turning on his computer. 

“How was your heat, Yamaguchi-kun?” The question wasn’t a surprise now, its appeal lost in the times he had been asked repeatedly from his colleague. Ito-san has an intense curiosity with omegas, male omegas to be precise despite his dynamic not exactly a rarity nor more favored than his counterpart. 

“It was fine, Ito-san,” Yamaguchi replies back with a forced smile and instantly turned his attention to his computer. “Ah, thank you for your concern.” 

Her intense gaze wasn’t missed. Yamaguchi realized she didn’t blink, not even once, and that caused a shiver down his back. His goosebumps raised and he knew his pheromones could easily be picked up by anyone around him, realizing the anxiety he radiates over the situation. He gulped, trying to keep himself calm and continued on opening up some programs in his computer, he entered his email as well. Although, he made sure to type in his password as fast as he could. 

By now, everyone in the table notices the two of them. He witnessed the multiple glances the others had done at his direction, the whispers that he couldn’t decipher and how they tried to continue on with their lives, head bent down as low as they could. He understood their reluctance but there was a stirring anger he had at their forced ignorance, his emotions sizzled, heated. 

He was on his own. 

“How come you’re not bonded, yet?” Ito-san asked further. She wheeled her chair closer to his, her knee pressing against his thigh and her face closer to his own. She sniffed, loudly. Humming afterwards as she closed her eyes. Yamaguchi simply stiffened at her behavior, holding on to his mouse as tightly as he could and forcibly presented off an air of nonchalance. “Your alpha friend didn’t want to bond with you and yet you let him have his way during your heat cycles,” she whispered, her breath hitting his neck. 

“How come?” She added, somehow smug. 

“It’s simply, really, Ito-san. He and I are in agreement in helping each other’s cycles,” Yamaguchi explained, repressing the disappointment within him. “We never thought of bonding.” 

Although, the idea stuck out like a sore thumbs during their cycles. Most notably during his heat and the occasional recollection when he helps with Tsukishima during his ruts. It echoes in his mind, taunting him of a future where he and Tsukishima are mates, the entire imagery was blissful and wholesome. Yamaguchi couldn’t help but entertain the impossible and, sometimes, he cries because of it. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to stop reaching for the unattainable. 

“Does yours happen quarterly?” Yamaguchi fidgeted with his hands, uncomfortable with the prodding interrogation with his heat. But he couldn’t voice his concerns, Ito-san has been working far longer than he was in the company, has produced far better results and she was an alpha. 

“Ye-yes,” he answered, stuttering out a single word like he was clutching it, hoping it wouldn’t come out of his mouth. But he has to, completely dreading as it slips from his grasp. Ito-san pushes her chair away from him and Yamaguchi sighed, relieved at the distance between them. He slowly went back to his work, clicking and typing, while his mind was running automatically. His emotions were in disarray, his body shook from the overwhelming arousal from Ito-san’s pheromones and it held him down. He was a prey in her eyes. 

“Hm, as usual, we have a four day weekend next month for the holidays,” Ito-san begins, “coincidentally, my rut starts on the first day which is beneficial in my part.” 

Her chair creaks and during the seconds it happened, Yamaguchi grits his teeth. On the other hand, Ito-san was grinning, showing her pearly whites that contrasted the dark lipstick she wore for today. 

“Ditch that alpha friend of yours and stay with me during my cycle.” It wasn’t a request. “Honestly, though, Tadashi, I’m still surprised you still haven’t found an alpha that you fancy. Stay with me in my rut, maybe I can change your mind and let me muddle your head with something different than what you usually have with that alpha you’re playing with.” 

She walked over to his seat and stood behind him which she eventually hunched down, placing her head behind his. Her breath smells like coffee and a hint of cigarette and it was directed on the nape of his neck. Her hand was larger than his own and it completely covered the mouse he was holding as well. Yamaghuchi was frozen, his instincts telling him to cower and hide his nape. His adrenaline was pumping, his attention moving from one thing to another, glancing at the colleagues that noticed his discomfort, observing each of them looking away from the eye contact. 

His heel jiggles and his heart beating fast. There was an itch he couldn't scratch. 

“Om-” No! “Ug!” 

Yamaguchi jumped out of his seat, hitting the alpha along the way. He ran, hearing the gasps and chatter spread like wildfire around him, until he reached the restroom. The place was empty and Yamaguchi immediately chose the last stall, locking the door as he entered. He pressed his back against the wall, letting the cold texture cool down the heat he gathered from the moment, to dirty his clothes with something else that wasn’t Ito-san. 

Ito-san… The name alone made him gag. Yamaguchi tried to vomit his disgust but there was nothing that came out of his mouth and he hated it. He wished he could puke out his breakfast, wanting more than to be emptied out from his colleague’s pheromones.


	2. Chapter 2

The silence wasn’t comforting. It didn’t embrace Yamaguchi nor did it soothe the anxiety within him. The office of the HR department suffocates him, wrapping its metaphorical hands around his neck, tightening its grip each time he exhales. He couldn’t even look up to look at the wall, the motivational posters were anything but its purpose and so he settled staring at the carpet floor. 

Time passed by, ticking the seconds for Suga-san to arrive. He was relieved at the quick response the upperclassman had given when he was called. Yamaguchi was ashamed at the lack of independence he had for the emergency but it was sadly the norm of the world he lived in. 

Omegas might have given rights that the other dynamics didn’t need to fight for but, even then, some disagree at the equality they received. A few are open with their opinions, oftentimes leading to altercation or assault. Because of this, omegas have to mandatorily notify their workplaces with emergency numbers, ranging from a friend, family and especially mates, which will be called for situations such as right now. 

He heard Ito-san clicking her tongue and Yamaguchi, in response, bent his head down with his shoulders slumped. She sat on the other side of the hall, clearly impatient from her pheromones airing out the emotion. He glances at her direction, observing her arms crossed on her chest and one leg cross over the other.

Despite it all, Ito-san still puts on a nonchalant front. Humming a tone he was unfamiliar with and a short smile when his eye met her gaze. She grins afterwards. 

Yamaguchi gulps. 

“It’s a complete misunderstanding, right, Yamaguchi-kun?” Her voice was airy, light but Yamaguchi could hear the growl underneath it. “I didn’t mean to intimidate you. I simply miscalculated my advances, I really thought you’d agree if I was more confrontational with my interest.” 

Yamaguchi almost choked on his own spit, gagging from being completely washed out with her pheromones. He bent his back down, his chest pressed against his knees as his grip on his chair tightened. His toes curled and his eyes stung from tears forming. She was trying to dominate him and he slowly bare the side of his neck in submission. 

He licked his lips, inhaling deeply. He bared his teeth, angry at his omega instincts taking front of the moment. He didn’t want to show off his neck, he didn’t want to whine either. He didn’t need to shuffle his feet to the side and so did his knees that followed afterwards. His omega wasn’t pleased with the alpha either. 

It was only trying to display its inferiority at the dynamic in front of him. 

“Uwa!” 

Ito-san’s pheromones instantly disappeared. Her superiority hid behind her ignorance she currently displays, checking at her watch and painted nails. Yamaguchi is relieved, to say the least. He managed to sit upright, albeit with sluggish movement and heavy breaths. His body shaken from the moment he licked his lips, trying to sway his attention at the cries getting louder, nearer to where he was.

“Honey, I know,” a voice soothes the cries of the baby, “you’re cranky, you want to go home and sleep in your crib, I know.” 

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened, realizing whose voice he was listening to. The singing wavered in volume, the hesitation to pursuit further into the chorus and the sigh that ended the attempt. The baby didn’t stop crying at all and Yamaguchi dwells on his rising guilt, muddling his excitement at the sight of the head omega heading his way. 

Suga-san has dark bags under his eyes, his forehead shining from the light. His hair was in disarray and his shirt was wrinkled by the baby moving around to protest the comfort the mother was giving in desperation. Yamaguchi sees his upperclassman’s attention flickered at him and he was hit by an air of distress, and an increased amount of annoyance as well. 

“Oh, thank god, Yamaguchi!” Suga-san practically ran to him and instantly handed his son to Yamaguchi who tried to put a distance between himself and the crying child. The cries intensified, the baby’s limbs were moving faster and rougher from his hold. And Yamaguchi, somewhat clueless to childrearing, began to bounce the baby on his lap. 

He heard Ito-san snickered by it but he ignored her. There was an even bigger threat in the form of a few month’s old baby who barely has his own set of teeth.

The mother rummages the bag he carried, hearing the sounds of bottles and toys squeaking from his attempts in searching for an item Yamaguchi hopes to be found in an instant. 

“Aha!” Suga-san exclaimed, shoving a pacifier to the air before sitting next to Yamaguchi. He placed the silicon nipple inside the baby’s mouth, leaving the child to suck on it to pacify the cries, which gradually faded away into soft whimpers and nothing more, hopefully.

“Maa…” Yamaguchi noticed Suga-san melted at the plea, the annoyance replaced by the adoration clear in the mother’s pheromones. It tickled Yamaguchi, his stomach fluttering from the love between a mother and his son, witnessing the reunion with his throat constricting as he watched the two hugging and scenting each other. 

Then Suga-san looks back at him, looking apologetic from the situation. “I’m really, really sorry, Yams, but Yuuto has started teething. I barely had any sleep and I’m sure Daichi just hid the fact that he’s been scolded by his boss for always yawning and looking exhausted on the job and it’s a pain dealing with a five year old kid who's not used to sharing the spotlight.” 

“Ah!” Yamaguchi shook his head. “It’s okay, Suga-san. I should be the one to apologize to trouble you with this, really.” 

Suga-san’s lips thinned before he presented himself with a smile. His pheromones indicated displeasure, unsatisfied by something and Yamaguchi hoped it wasn’t him that caused it. Yamaguchi didn’t ask and Suga-san didn’t say anything about it, only holding Yamaguchi’s hand with a tight grip, rubbing some of his scent onto Yamaguchi’s wrist. 

“I always have time for you, Yamaguchi,” Suga-san reassured him, saying it in whispers. Yamaguchi didn’t need to be emotional by those words but he bit his lip, nodding. He only brought up back his surprised expression from the kiss he received on the cheek. 

The door next to them opened and a woman came out of the door, still holding the doorknob as she acknowledged the people in front of her. “Yamaguchi Tadashi and Sawamura Koushi, please come inside the office.” 

Suga-san stood up and Yamaguchi was pulled out of his seat.

-

Suga-san wasn’t pleased with the agreement. Although, Yamaguchi wasn’t given a choice in the first place, the beta woman had a clear bias and he knew, deep down, Ito-san would get a slap on the wrist and be done with the humiliation. As for him? Yamaguchi knew the road of being an omega would be bumpier than the other dynamics, less fun and sometimes miserable. 

High school made him blinded by the friendships he received. Somehow, everyone treated each other equally, like a fairy tale that temporarily came and went when he graduated. Yamaguchi wonders if it was the same with the other omegas he encountered through the sport. But then, they weren’t like him. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, Yamaguchi?” Suga-san asked. Yamaguchi can hear shuffling on the other side of the call, the sounds of a kid shouting something and Suga-san replying back. 

“Yeah,” Yamaguchi answered back and sat down on his bed. Wearing a loose shirt and some shorts was freeing, he didn’t need to feel suffocated by his work clothes anymore. He didn’t need to hassle himself wearing socks as well. He laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling, contemplating. “And I kinda understand anyways. I went back to work a day after my heat, knowing that my heat pheromones would linger on my skin which could potentially rile some, or more, alphas up just by being close to me.”

He simply rephrased what the beta had said to him. Less professional and flowery.

“That’s not true!” Suga-san exclaimed, “You even take suppressors to hide it. A cycle is a cycle, while there’s some remnants of it that stay with the person days after, it doesn’t endanger them outside of it. Much more, Tsukishima was with you during your heat which helps ward off alphas from laying a hand on you. And this is some basic high school lessons!” 

Yamaguchi blushed, only Suga-san knew about the arrangement as he was forced to talk about his heat at the meeting. 

“Mama! Cookie!” A child shouts. 

“Ah, mama’s sorry!” Yamaguchi sits up from his bed, moving closer to his nightstand and picks up his flip calendar. He skims through the empty spaces, reading the ones with important events written in it, and sighs at the days he writes for his heat. Usually, omegas come back to work on the second day, even on rare occasions on the third. It was to ease out the fatigue they feel during their cycle, nothing more nor less, and while Yamaguchi wanted to stay in bed all day after his heat. He doesn’t want to. 

He wanted to have a distraction knowing Tsukishima had left for a volleyball match on the afternoon of the last day of his heat. The alpha even sent him a picture of the bus he was in with his teammates and although he had memorized Tsukishima’s schedule, it was still a shock to know the alpha wasn’t exhausted after spending his entire heat cycle. 

Yamaguchi noticed the silence coming from his phone and realized the call had ended. He was relieved, he didn’t think he had the energy to engage the topic further. He went to the pack’s group chat, expecting nothing but the overall quiet from everyone. The timing of the responses of Hinata’s photo had a big gap, completely hours apart. It was awkward for him to contribute a lukewarm reaction based on the timeline. 

He wasn’t ready to tell everyone about the incident either and he had managed to keep it a secret with Suga-san as well. Tsukishima might know after coming back from his game, Yamaguchi wouldn’t want the alpha distracted by something unimportant. 

And so, Yamaguchi throws his phone on the other side of the bed. Clueless on how he’ll spend his two day leave. 

-

His leave was spent surprisingly well. Usually napping in the early hours of the morning and wasting his time awake during midnight. Nobody bothered to check up on him throughout his leave, even the days after. It was expected, he thought. Yamaguchi still hasn’t said anything about it to everyone and Suga-san has other things to worry about, especially with Yuuto and the festival he had to organize for his school. Not a word from the group chat either. Hinata hasn’t sent another picture. Kageyama could barely hold a camera in place for a selfie and Noya-san might probably be too busy to stare at a screen when he’s in the mercy of a wonderful view, somewhere. 

The rest were here. Spread out. 

Yamaguchi packed his things, slowly. He was tired, the soles of his feet ached and his stomach grumbled, indicating his hunger. The sun was setting, the sky painted in orange and blue hues, and each corner of the office was engulfed by shadows. He felt the heat of the sun despite the air conditioning still running and functioning perfectly. Unfortunately his back was damp with sweat. His pits were, as well, moisten. He assumed the reaction was related to being the spotlight. He was watched by every pair of eyes in his department which prompted him to do awkwardly on the job, his movements were robotic and his responses were nothing but stutters. 

“Yamaguchi-kun.” Yamaguchi stiffens and his pen slips out of his grip, falling down to the floor with a thump. He cursed, placing a hand on his mouth afterwards, composing himself and looking at the person who called him. 

It was Ito-san. 

She stood in front of the door, arms crossed on her chest and her feet placed apart. Her lips thinned but her amusement was vivid by her pheromones. Yamaguchi immediately sat down on his chair, staring back at the alpha who caused him shame. He gulps, holding the armrest as tightly as he could, dreading whatever action she’ll do now. It’s just the two of them in the office. 

“My offer still stands, Tadashi,” she tells him, “and I forgive you for embarrassing me the other day, the reaction was unnecessary but I do hope you control yourself better, okay?” 

Yamaguchi didn’t respond. Instead faces his chair to the glass curtain walls, watching the city lights turn on, one by one. The area has gotten darker, the yellow and orange hues were completely drawn over by darker shades of blue and black. He sees employees from the other building packing their things, some floors have their light switched off and the view has increased his anticipation to go home. 

He hears her click her tongue. Her pheromones gone by the second and Yamaguchi sighed in relief, fatigue wearing him down and his body shakes from the overwhelming dominance suffocating him. At least she was transferred two tables away from his. At least, his colleagues were kind enough to keep the gossip to themselves. 

At least. 

-

_ ‘I’ll be home one week from now.’  _ Tsukishima sends him a text and Yamaguchi already knows of it. The alpha always informs him beforehand but he didn’t mind being reminded. He rolls the shopping cart to the next aisle, his other hand holding his phone, typing the keyboard with his thumb. 

_ ‘Okie dokie, Tsukki! Let’s buy strawberry shortcake to celebrate your win! :)’  _ Yamaguchi sent the message and began walking to the brand of pasta he likes, thinking of making something when Tsukishima returns home. He was giddy, ecstatic at the victory the alpha and his team obtained from their match. Pride seeps within him, pumping him with energy to go through the entire grocery store and planning the food he’ll make when the alpha comes back. 

Tsukishima deserves it after all. 

He grabbed a box of pasta then made his way to the vegetable section, wanting to store up some potatoes and carrots for curry. 

“Ryu, are you sure about this?” Yamaguchi halted. He hides behind an aisle, peeking through the corner as he looks around for the owner of the voice. He wasn’t surprised, really. Yamaguchi was familiar with the voices of his upperclassmen in high school, so he anticipated for the expected and he wasn’t let down by his assumptions. Near the display freezer was Ennoshita-san and Tanaka-san, the former still wearing scrubs as the other had joggers and a black tank top on. 

“It’s fine, Chikara,” Tanaka-san reassures his lover and places a large tub of ice cream in their shopping cart. “There’s nothing wrong with a cheat day and, besides, you’ve been stressed out from work, some sugar will help calm that brain of yours.” 

Yamaguchi sees Ennoshita smile from the alpha’s words. A tint of blush painting his cheeks and took out another, smaller, tub of ice cream from the display freezer. “I always wanted to try green tea flavored ice cream.” 

Tanaka-san’s face brightened, planting a kiss on Ennoshita-san’s cheek which left the beta hurriedly pushing the alpha off him, berating him for his behavior. Tanaka-san wasn’t affected by it all, laughing and rolling their cart away from the freezer with Ennoshita walking behind him, huffing with his face completely red from the gesture.

Yamaguchi moves to the other side of the grocery store, wanting to give the two their privacy. The timing wasn’t great, he thought. He didn’t want to disturb the couple’s moment and it’s probably their only time the two had for each other which Yamaguchi knew the feeling well. Albeit, he and Tsukishima only have a platonic relationship to begin with, but he knows what it feels like when someone else disrupts their time. 

He’ll greet them another time, someday. Hopefully, soon. 

He wrapped Tsukishima’s scarf tighter, needing to feel the fabric on his neck. To really press his nose on it, sniffing out the alpha’s scent. Somehow, his mind drifts away from the couple to the musky smell of Tsukishima. Letting his body move on its own as he realized on the fact the scarf hardly has any scent of the alpha at all, slowly losing its relevance Yamaguchi had for it. 

Still, he wasn’t worried. Tsukishima sometimes leaves his clothes at his place and Yamaguchi knows he has a drawer of it back home. 


	3. Chapter 3

Yamaguchi swore the salmon he ate for dinner was fine. The expiration date said so and he even checked the smell and its texture before diving in, just like Tsukishima always tells him to. The puking was strange, his stomach was basically an iron wall against slightly, probably, expired food. Maybe he was truly aging, despite being in his twenties, and his body has taken a turn for the worse. He’ll likely start balding and getting wrinkled sooner than he would’ve liked.

He sighed, annoyed. His stomach grumbled, whether it was for hunger or it was disagreeing with the burnt toast and lukewarm tea he had for breakfast. Yamaguchi can’t say for sure. He continued on tucking in Tsukishima’s shirt inside his jeans, the alpha wears a size larger than his own and the collar was too wide for him that it sometimes slither to his shoulders. Still, he didn’t search for something else to wear, hoping his outfit was presentable enough for work.

Finally, he checked himself in the mirror, enjoying the pastel colors from his attire. Tsukishima’s socks were also really soft. However, the ends sometimes slipped down to his heels.

Yamaguchi’s puff his chest then chuckles it all off. His back loosen from its upright posture and his hands were on the handle of his backpack, holding them loosely. He walked away from the mirror, confident, then opened the entrance door to his apartment.

“I’m leaving!” Yamaguchi announces and looks back to the living room. Inspecting the door frame of the kitchen before glancing at the closed door of his bedroom. His bathroom was out of frame but he wished he had more time to go over that detail.

He was alone, that was for certain, but he longs for a response. He waits for the impossible, already imagining a voice to answer him back. He exhales, disappointed, numb.

Yamaguchi leaves afterwards, feeling the heat of the sun against his skin as he steps outside of his apartment. He usually checks the group chat as he walks to the elevator but, right now, he doesn’t want to. His expectation always leaves him frustrated. So, instead, he steps inside, sensing his phone in his pocket, heavier than he had assumed, warm too. He yearns for a vibration, a notification.

But all he got was none.

-

“Are you sure you’re okay with this, Yamaguchi-kun?” His colleague asked him, worried. They had already successfully convinced Yamaguchi to let them carry his printouts of their report. It looks heavy, Yamaguchi notices, but never takes back the offer despite the papers continuously slipping out of their hands.

“I mean, you’ll probably get scared talking to the higher-ups and all, they tend to be… harsh with omegas,” they added, “since, you know, they’re alphas with a few noticeable betas in the group.”

Yamaguchi was unsure with the kindness offered. His colleague barely showed any remorse for him during and days after the incident, leaving Yamaguchi to remember their judgmental gaze aimed at him all throughout the experience. He didn’t even get an apology. He bit his tongue, silencing the questions he wanted to ask and nodded. At least, he was relieved that they were a beta, the only dynamic who has the least sensitivity to pheromones. Yamaguchi can freely air out his irritation.

“I’m okay,” Yamaguchi reassures him, showing off a forced smile, and opens the glass door to the boardroom. The place was packed. The round table was completely occupied by middle aged men and women, most were alphas and a few betas, just like his colleague had stated. All of them in a suit or the likes despite the leniency of work attire policy. The rest of his group stood out front, near the projection screen that showed the title of their work.

“Good morning,” Yamaguchi greeted his bosses and bowed his head down, showing his respects. His colleague did them the same, albeit muttering his greeting and his bow asymmetrical with Yamaguchi’s.

“Oh?” Yamaguchi senses curiosity. “An omega is part of the group?”

“Yamaguchi-kun is an essential member of the report,” his colleague quickly explained to the alpha, stuttering and clearly nervous by the question. He sees them fidgeting with the tips of the paperwork, watching them struggle holding it entirely in their hands. “However, we can, you know, let Yamaguchi-kun stand by and have someone else present his part.”

“I’m okay,” Yamaguchi repeated, louder this time, and inserted himself to the conversation. “I don’t want anyone else to be hassled trying to explain my part.”

He stood upright, watching a middle-aged alpha looking at him. Their gaze flickered, observing his loose shirt and baggy jeans. Yamaguchi recoiled at the heightened interest and sighed down his relief when it suddenly faded away, leaving traces of it lingering on his skin.

“Very well then, Yamaguchi-kun, present your work,” the alpha tells him and Yamaguchi nodded, facing the man with a determined look.

The presentation went as he expected - not exactly smooth but it wasn’t a mess either. Yamaguchi became the de facto leader and so he dealt with a lot of explaining certain topics as well as going in-depth with the statistics presented. The questions weren’t deflected and he tried to accommodate each and every doubt the alphas have expressed for the report. Yamaguchi also presents his pheromones, trying to radiate the confidence he has for their work.

As the only omega in the boardroom, he had to work hard. To straighten his back and fully facing his superiors without hesitation, never breaking eye to eye contact unless he was reading a phrase or a sentence shown in the projection screen. He can’t afford to stutter, to look down on his papers and the floor with uncertainty. He didn’t want to be showered with insults like a member of his who paused for a minute and repeated what they had said earlier.

And he knew everyone waited for him to make a mistake.

“... and that ends our proposal, any feedback is highly appreciated.”

Yamaguchi breathed out. He felt like a burden was lifted off his shoulders and showed off a smile to his superiors. The alphas in his group radiate off a sense of satisfaction at the work ended, although he feels a crippling dread from them as well, gnawing his inside and churning his stomach. He wanted to groan out from the emotion hitting him, however, he knew their worries were reasonable.

He wouldn’t want to start over again.

“Interesting.” Yamaguchi whips his attention to the female beta sitting near them, her arms clasped together on the table and her leg crosses over the other. “Even with an omega in the group, the report is produced, flawlessly. It seems everyone thought the same. We usually berate the presentators if we aren’t pleased with the content, even ending the reports before all of you can finish.”

Regardless of her words, Yamaguchi can sense the meeting hasn’t ended yet. He fidgeted with his hands on his back as a few alphas and betas gathered around to discuss in whispers. Their glances weren’t hidden and so were certain words they carelessly threw around. Omega was one of them and Yamaguchi gulped, knowing his members picked it up from the conversation as well.

They didn’t hide their annoyance at all.

The alphas and betas ended the discussion. All of them sitting straight and facing Yamaguchi and his members without an expression. Their pheromones hinted anticipation but it was too mild to tell the details about it.

“Meeting’s dismissed and sent me the digital copy of the report sometime today,” a female alpha announced and everyone in the table stood up, bowing and bidding the alpha goodbye before walking away towards the door. Yamaguchi’s group did the same, their voices louder than the rest and showing off their grins at the achievement afterwards.

“We did it!” One of his members cheered and the rest followed. Yamaguchi allowed himself to be engulfed by the celebration, standing by the sidelines as his group high five each other with the occasional hugs to the betas in the group. Him, on the other hand, was left wanting the camaraderie, envying the comfort that eases the stress they all had going on with the reports.

“Co-congratulations, everyone,” Yamaguchi stuttered but it didn’t faze the happiness everyone had at the moment.

“Yamaguchi-kun, we’d fucked up this meeting without you!” An alpha in the group exclaimed and he was immediately embraced by the man. He was surprised at the gesture with his hands hanging on the sides and his body stiffened in shock. Seconds later, the man steps out of the hug, embarrassed and overwhelmed. The man was sniffing, brows furrowed and grimaced. “Ah, sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s okay,” he responded back, trying to place a hand on the man’s shoulder but the alpha brushed it off, shaking his head, and spreading out the guilt he had for his behavior. Yamaguchi was clueless by the move but he didn’t continue on with his pursuit, leaving his confusion to dwell in his head. Nobody clarified what he did wrong.

-

“Urg!” Yamaguchi faces down on the toilet, his hands holding his knees tightly as he disposes of another portion of his lunch. His forehead was damp, his sweat dripping down on the sides of his face, and his back and feet aches from being in an uncomfortable position for too long. He had avoided raw seafood, was hesitant with meat and had opted eating vegetables that weren’t fried.

So, why was he still feeling like shit?

He sniffs, gulping down the remains of his lunch. Wincing from the stomach acid and rice going down his throat and wiped the drool off his mouth with a tissue. His stomach feels hollow but the thought of eating turns him off from the idea. He couldn’t even look at the remains of his meal on the bowl and he closed his eyes while flushing it.

Yamaguchi felt light-headed when he stood upright, slowly. He heard his back cracking from the change of posture and he was sure there were red handprints on his knees from his tight grip. He shivers from the cold air and curses at his goosebumps raised from the cool temperature.

Was he dying?

“Are you alright in there?” A voice from the other side questions, knocking on the door gently while shuffling around the area. Yamaguchi could hear the taps of the person’s heels, pacing back and forth near his stall. “I heard you puking.”

Yamaguchi can sense her worries and maybe he had leaked out too much of his distress. Quickly, he tucked in his shirt, pulling his pants to his waist and grimacing at the foul odor of his breath. Still, he opens the door and sees a woman shorter than him, older too. He doesn’t question her dynamics, however, as the restroom they’re in was exclusively for omegas. Betas has free reign on which restroom they can use but oftentimes they crowd themselves with the alphas.

“I’m… fine,” he muttered, “It’s probably from the food I ate last night - bad salmon, I think.”

“I can give you some tea to soothe your tummy if you want to,” the lady suggested and boldly pulled him out of the stall. Despite his reluctance, he didn't refuse either. Letting himself be led out of the restroom, to the hall on the right where they entered a small private office. The room differs from the overall aesthetic of the company, her walls were painted pink and the carpet floor was in a lighter shade of green. Rather than succulents, the lady had flowers placed near the glass curtain windows. The sunflowers weren’t hard to miss by how tall they have grown, almost reaching to the ceiling.

Yamaguchi was motioned to sit on an armchair near her desk and he relished the comfort his back sought out with the backrest. He watches her heat up the electric kettle at a table, listening in to the hums and the clanking sound done by the mugs she used for the tea.

“It’s tough being an omega, isn’t it?” She starts and sits down on the armchair facing his, “especially in an occupation many wouldn’t expect us to be in, what department are you in, dear?”

She handed him a mug of tea and he thanked her underneath his breath “Um, I’m in the finance department,” Yamaguchi answered before blowing his tea and planting his lips on the rim, sipping.

“A non-typical omega profession.” The lady nodded and drank her tea, the silence that came after was comforting. She didn’t force him to say something else and her pheromones indicated the serenity she finds in the quiet. Yamaguchi settled in his seat, once more, enjoying the heat the tea brings into his stomach. He tastes the chamomile and how it softens the roughness he feels on his throat. He wishes for toast, maybe a bagel, but right now, he wants nothing more than being in peace.

“Thank you,” Yamaguchi said, breaking the silence.

The lady simply smiled at him. “It’s nothing, dear. Omegas take care of each other, that’s all. Besides, I know how it feels when you get the early symptoms…”

 _Symptoms_? Yamaguchi repeats the word. It echoes in his head with concern churning his stomach. He sets his mug down to his lap, nestled between his hands and feeling the warmth heating his palm. His brows furrowed, zoning out of the conversation and into the sudden illness he had today. Could she mean food poisoning? That is a possibility. But why did she include the word _early_?

Oh, god. “Um... what did you mean by early symptoms?” Yamaguchi asked, letting his voice die down into a whisper. He was afraid. The possibilities were endless with his unknown condition but it wasn’t serious, right? The lady is still alive, breathing and warm from their contact moments ago. She wasn’t just a fragment of his imagination or some ghost who's dragging him to hell through eating something from the spirit world.

Right?

“Oh, dear.” She placed her mug on her desk and clasped her hands together on her lap. She was nervous and her emotion caused him to feel the same, panting. He’s dealing with this bullshit just because he ate some rotten fish for dinner. Fuck. How will Tsukishima react knowing the cause of his death?

“It’s not serious, right?” He exclaimed, “Am I dying!?”

“Calm down, take a deep breath, inhale and exhale - like me.” He copied her movement, breathing in and out. It didn’t make anything better though, his heart was beating fast and he was getting cold sweat from the impending revelation. He licked his lips before drinking his entire tea to warm up his stomach. The atmosphere made his stomach churn more, cooler by the minute. “Now, it’s serious but not exactly a life threatening situation either. Although, it could change a person’s life if you decide to go through with the pregnancy.”

“Pregnancy,” Yamaguchi muttered the word, letting it be digested in his head. The lady nodded, slowly, and aired out her calm pheromones at him, trying to lessen the rise of his panic at the discovery.

...

“Oh my god.”

“Don’t worry, dear,” she tells him and hurried to his side, rubbing his back. “I’m sure, by now, your mate must’ve noticed your pheromones changing and sometimes other people, especially alphas, can pick up the change.”

“Tsukki’s just a friend!” Yamaguchi shouts and bits his lips, looking away at the shock expressed by the woman in front of him. “So-sorry.”

“Well, I apologize for the assumptions. You are wearing clothes that are bigger than your size and its scent differs from yours from what I can gather. Is it from the alpha you engaged with during your last heat?” The lady questions and, in defeat, Yamaguchi nodded as a response. He heard her sigh and her pheromones indicated mixed emotions towards his condition. Yamaguchi wished she was disappointed at him then felt the concern she had over him.

“It’s not a surprise why you are gravitating to his scent. It eases the pregnancy, most especially the baby,” she explained.

“What if… what if I’m not pregnant? Maybe I only like the smell of Tsukki because of his perfume or something and I’m just puking because of an expired food,” Yamaguchi suggested, trying to deflect the bombshell she threw at him. Being pregnant is the least of his mind right now, let alone having a pregnancy unmated. “Tsukki always uses condoms, too. I can see it from the trash bin, he even buys a pack and places it on the nightstand.”

“Well, you can always use a pregnancy test to know the result but if you’re unsure with it, you can get an appointment to a omega-specialize clinic to confirm it for you,” she recommended and hands out her business card from the table, “and here, if you need any help, just call me right away.

“And if you don’t want to proceed with the pregnancy, we can find an abortion clinic and I’ll be there as a friend, if you want,” she promised him and, despite the reassurance he can sense through her pheromones, he wanna bash his head on the desk and hopes everything he experienced right now will be forgotten.

Perhaps, a nightmare he has yet to wake up.


	4. Chapter 4

Yamaguchi knew his dynamic could get him in situations where he debates asking for help. The stereotypes built around omegas means others doubt the progression they’ve come so far. Why do you need help when you’ve put yourself in the moment in the first place? Yamaguchi can’t control who he is and the perversion a few perceive him as a sex object or the likes.

Ito-san wasn’t making her staring subtle. She intended to gaze at his direction with a clear hint of her obsession. Her hands were moving, Yamaguchi glanced at the clicking her finger had done on the mouse while the other pressed some keys on the keyboard. People had to be blind to not see the obvious or maybe they did but shrugs it off as a typical alpha behavior.

Assholes.

He sighs, completely stressed out of his mind. Fortunately, Ito-san was the least of his problems. At least she wasn’t growing inside his belly with a huge banner telling every alpha and omega out there that he’s expecting. One quick detection from his pheromones and he’s screwed.

Yamaguchi checked the time on his computer and felt elated at the discovery that his hours of suffering from the crowded office will be over soon. “Five more minutes,” he blurts out and immediately saves his spreadsheet before exiting the program, then shuts down his computer in seconds.

His mind was erratic and his hands were shaking as he tried to clear his stuff off the work table. Dumping everything he had on his backpack, zipping it shut, and slings the handles on his shoulders. The betas on his table looks at him with confusion clear in their eyes but never questions his behavior. They were probably too exhausted from work, he assumed.

“I’m going home,” he announced.

“Take care, Yamaguchi-kun,” a few responded, their voice low and groggy from fatigue.

Then, finally, he walks towards the biometric time clock near the entrance door of the office. He puts his thumb on the glass and watches as the tiny screen turns green then to the time he clocked out of work. He was going home, he was going to lie down on his nest made out of Tsukishima’s clothes because it was the only thing that’s keeping him sane today.

“Ah, Yamaguchi-kun, what a surprise.” Yamaguchi bit his tongue, dying down the yelp he instantly expressed. Although, he can’t control the jump he had done to get away from Ito-san. He looks at her, eyes widened and a grin that shows off too much of his teeth. “You’re leaving earlier than usual.”

Yamaguchi wanted to wipe the smile off of her. He holds on to the handles of his backpack, gripping it tightly, feeling the fabric folds on his palms. Ito-san didn’t look like she was leaving at the same time as he was, her bag was still on her chair, opened with her things still on the table, completely unorganized.

“Yes, Ito-san,” Yamaguchi responded, hiding his enthusiasm and hastily moving towards the door. She didn’t follow him but, even so, Ito-san was determined to really creep the heck out of him, slowly turning her head in his direction. Her smile, fortunately, slowly dissolves as her nostril flared, sniffing.

She knows the panic he radiates, everyone does in their proximity. Yamaguchi holds on to the doorknob like a lifeline, welcoming the surprise contrast between their temperature, enjoying the cold metal in his warm hand. He glanced at her, his attention on the floor waning and made sure his back was barely out of sight, hoping to really press it against the glass door.

“You’re wearing your boytoy’s clothes, yeah?” Ito-san points out with a finger.

Yamaguchi gritted his teeth, offended at the nickname Ito-san has called for Tsukishima. He didn’t need to answer her, especially with the invasive question she promptly asked in a public setting. However, laced with the intimidating pheromones that simmered in anger, he complied, “Yes, it’s the alpha’s clothes. I feel like wearing it, why?”

Ito-san shrugs. “Nothing. Thought you weren’t serious with him, that’s all… guess, I was wrong. Well, it won’t be my problem.”

_It._

She refers to the baby as _it. It_ is still a tiny cell, microscopic in size and doesn’t have a heartbeat to indicate _it_ is alive. For now, _it_ is within him and _it_ is continuously growing until Yamaguchi can decide what to do with _it_. His omega instincts were pleased with the discovery, despite the absence of a bond between him and Tsukishima and his own thoughts were riddled by a more optimistic vision of a future. Promises that seem more definite in his mind.

He doesn’t ask for her to clarify what she meant. Judging by the mocked smile and the anger evolving into a vivid air of disgust, Ito-san knows that he’s pregnant. Whether she wants to spread the word or keep it to herself to turn the fact against him, Yamaguchi just brushes the threat for another day.

Another day, another problem to handle and, right now, he has to buy a pregnancy test. Or five.

-

The convenient store near his apartment was, well, convenient. He’s wearing a face mask and was also buried by Tsukishima’s scarf, coat and shirt. He’s wearing his own sweatpants and has slippers on than shoes. He seeks the comfort of the alpha’s scent, trying to ease the agitation as he looks at the pregnancy tests in one of the few aisles the store has. He breathes in then out, hand hovering over one of them as his stares at the different price ranges each brand had. Who knew pregnancy tests were affordable? Not him.

He already planned on buying more than one. But can he use only one brand? Should he use different kinds of pregnancy tests? Are the expensive ones more reliable than the cheap ones? His thoughts were in a marathon, all of them trying to reach the finish line to destine his answer.

Thankfully, his phone provided a distraction to his dilemma and Yamaguchi immediately took it out from his pocket, reading the notification which was surprising to say the least. Suga-san had sent a message in the group chat.

Sugawara: is anyone free at the moment? Only to those in japan btw, i can’t afford a plane ticket to the peeps chillin abroad

Nishinoya: hey!

Hinata: aw q.q, are u guys planning on smth?

Kageyama: it’s hot here, tho

Hinata: Kags, after all this years u still too slow on slangs

Kageyama: shut up!

Sugawara: lol, anyways, yeah, it’s unexpected… but i really need a time for myself, my mate and my friends right now… yuuto and itsuki may be my precious babies but even i need a break from them.

Kiyoko: Hitoka and I are free right now, Suga.

Tanaka: might come later tho, gotta wait for Chikara to finish his shift, he also needs a time for himself. Babe can’t catch a break.

Daichi: I’m waiting for your answer, Asahi

Asahi: Wah! Even in gc, you gave me a fright!

Daichi: gave u a fright? Lol

Sugawara: lol

Tanaka: lol

Nishinoya: lol

Hinata: lol

Kyoko:... lol

Asahi: I’m going because I know daichi will drag my ass out of my apartment anyways

Daichi: good

Sugawara: Anyways, theres this korean barbecue restaurant that opened recently and i wanted to check it out after hearing my students rave about it for like a week now. So… i thought it’d be cool idea to catch up with the team and eat good food at the same time

Hinata: Aw, now, I really wanna join!

Kageyama: u can’t leave stupid, you gotta work hard to compete against me, remember?

Hinata: all work and no play makes kageyama a dumb boy

Kageyama: hey!

Nishinoya: if only i could row my way to japan right now

Asahi: that’s not safe yuu! And besides, you’ll be coming home soon, we can check it out when you come back

Nishinoya: aw… i love you too, dear. Can’t wait to finally touch you again.

Asahi: Yuu!

Sugawara: how about you yams? You wanna join us? You prob feeling lonely since Tsukishima left you… don’t worry, tho! Sugamama is gonna cheer you up in no time.

Tsukishima: I’ll be back by the end of the week, Suga-san

Sugawara: Sshhh, your still miles away from us, Tsukki.

Yamaguchi beams at the sudden activity of the group chat. Nishinoya, Hinata, and Kageyama were present at the same time, which is a miracle due to the huge gap between their time zones. Well, Suga-san always had an effect that can gather the team together, uniting the differences and acknowledge the similarities. The motherly instinct of his upperclassman magnified after the birth of his two children, oftentimes leading to him checking up on them, individually or by group. Unfortunately, Yamaguchi had to decline the offer, knowing his condition could easily be detected by his friends. And right now, he doesn’t want them to know how he is, physically and mentally.

Yamaguchi: im sorry qwq suga-san but i have to do some overtime, work’s been keeping me busy right now

Yamaguchi lied. Eventually pressing the enter key after rereading his message, mouthing the words underneath his breath and fully processing his refusal. It sucks. After spending days and hours wasting away at the longing for his friends, the opportunity now pops up and the first thing he does is doing the opposite of his wish.

“Damn,” he muttered, sighing deeply, and grabbed a couple of pregnancy tests, never minding the brand and prices as he went to the cashier to purchase. Good thing, there weren’t many people crowding the place and the cashier didn’t bat an eyes as they scan his stuff and put it in a paper bag.

“Take care and come again,” the cashier drones, their eyelids drooping and their frown deepens. Yamaguchi only gave them a glance before leaving the store with his purchase in his pocket. It feels heavy, Yamaguchi notices, and his pace was a lot slower than he would’ve liked but, at the very least, he can continue back to the group chat, optimistic at the traffic.

Sugawara: aw, poor baby qwq make sure you eat well yams and do your best, okay? Call me if anything bad happens and ill be there as soon as possible

Daichi: I can even give you a ride home, yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi's throat constricts, his eyes sting from the tears forming and his heart aches at the offer. He sniffed once then twice, skimming through the worries and offers the others had messaged about his lie. Hinata even proclaimed to beat up any alphas who will hurt him and Yamaguchi wanted to open up about Ito-san at that, expressing the fear that holds him in place and glues him to the floor. He sometimes enters the office earlier just to prepare himself for her assaults.

The screen changes to an upcoming call from Tsukishima and Yamaguchi simply accepts the call. He placed his phone near his ear and unlocked his door with his key.

“Are you going to be okay?” Tsukishima immediately asked. Beneath the monotonous tone of the alpha’s voice, lies the concern Yamaguchi can sense through the phone. He didn’t need the pheromones to sense it, he can distinguish the emotions Tsukishima hides under his cool façade. That, and the alpha has been opening up, slowly but progressively unafraid to show what he feels.

“Yeah… just a bit stressed out from all the paperwork I have to do tonight, haha,” he answered back, trying to lighten up the mood.

Yamaguchi closed his entrance door quietly, turning on the lights near the door, and put the phone in speaker mode. He wipes his tears off his face with the sleeve of the alpha’s coat, also grimacing at the snot that stained his face mask. He took it off, holding it between his fingers, for now.

“Just make sure you don’t stay too late, Yamaguchi.” He slips out of his slippers and into a different set he uses for his apartment. “Don’t let anyone boss you around because of your dynamic and make sure you call me when you leave the office and when you arrive at your apartment, yeah?”

“Okay, Tsukki,” he replies back, his voice heightens, showing off the giddy attitude bursting from Tsukishima’s list. He walks further into his apartment, turning the lights in his living room and kitchen before heading inside his bedroom. “I guess I have to do the same, too, you know. Make sure you play nice with Konegawa-san and Kyotani-kun, okay? Have fun, win as many games as you can as a team.”

He threw his face mask on the trash bin and sat down on his bed, sighing at the sight of his sloppy nest made out of the alpha’s clothes. Some of Tsukishima’s shirts became temporary pillow sheets and his towels, scarves and coats were Yamaguchi’s blankets and there was a handkerchief he occasionally carried around his place, sniffing it to soothe out the yearning he had for the alpha.

Yamaguchi never questioned the urge to hound all of the alpha’s clothes, he thought he was almost in heat. Which was a stupid reason by the way. He has heats four times a year, every three months. So why wasn’t he skeptical at his behavior weeks after experiencing his heat.

“I was kinda expecting to hear you say you’re so proud of me or something - you know, becoming a volleyball player that also starred in an energy drink commercial and having a small sized fanclub.” Despite the mutters, Yamaguchi can hear the alpha clearly. He hears the shuffles from the other side of the call, hearing intangible chatters and the whisper the alpha had replied afterwards.

He lies down on his makeshift nest, pressing his face on the alpha’s shirt and puts the phone on top of it. “I’m already proud of you, Tsukki. Always have been,” Yamaguchi tells, putting his entire love in his words and hopes Tsukishima can feel it from the other side of the call.

“Especially when you acted at a commercial for a drink that tastes like cough medicine and with a fanclub that I probably have a responsibility in starting,” he added and heard the alpha snort which gets Yamaguchi to chuckle.

“... Tsuk…shima! It’s… turn... get… dy!” Yamaguchi couldn’t hear the announcement clearly but judging by the sigh the alpha expressed, it seems their call ran out of time. He hides his disappointment, accepting that their lives were moving apart, at the same time, it stays together. The alpha now has others needing him to be at his top condition to play and Yamaguchi has numbers to simplify and report to his superiors. The differences didn’t stop the two from being friends.

Well, there is one and Yamaguchi slips a hand down on his belly. The baby. Pup. _It._

“Damn, and here I thought I finally got the time to call you,” Tsukishima said to him.

“It’s okay, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi reassures the alpha. “We'll call each other another time, okay?”

“Guess so…”

“Good night,” Yamaguchi starts.

“Good night.” And Tsukishima ended the call afterwards.

Yamaguchi’s mood changes and he took out the paper bag from his pocket.

-

He ate stir fried vegetables for dinner and drank a lot of water. More than eight cups, ten or eleven, Yamaguchi stopped counting really. After spending his dinner alone, in silence. Completely engrossed at the group chat becoming alive once more with the pictures the others had sent about the outing, reading the excitement and envy from Hinata and Nishinoya. Kageyama was also chatting but it was mostly instigating a friendly banter with Hinata.

Tsukishima hasn’t been part of the lively interaction as he was busy and Yamaguchi simply gave his comments here and there, trying to keep his participation as minimum as possible to make his lie realistic.

“Fuck,” he cursed. His fun times were minutes ago, an hour probably. He faced the pregnancy tests, all varied in brand and prices, have similar results. He can’t blame a faulty product and the differences of each brand have made it hard for him to blame a single brand entirely.

Positive.

One way or another, the tests stated the same thing. He was pregnant, expecting a bun in the oven. He, an unmated omega with an alpha harassing him at work and his friends drifting apart, was pregnant.

Now, what?


	5. Chapter 5

The moment he entered the office, Yamaguchi felt like a spectacle. The attention was slowly becoming a familiar presence due to the incident weeks prior but he knew the topic differs from before. The whispers slowly become the white noise, entering one ear then leaves on the other. His tapping on the keyboard might have been louder than he usually does and the clicking of his mouse was more rapid and harsh. He hasn’t slouched and his focus is glued to the screen, and yet his eyes strays to the glances that meet his own.

Yamaguchi sighed, leaning his back against the backrest of his office chair. He finished most parts of his work in a short amount of time. The day had yet to break into the afternoon, however, his stomach grumbled, hungry for something to eat. His hand slithers to his abdomen then goes underneath Tsukishima’s shirt to touch his belly, his emotions flutter at the contact.

Was his stomach always this warm?

“Oh, wow!”

He jolts his hand away at someone gasping and Yamaguchi immediately snaps his head in every direction, trying to look for the source of the noise. And there she was, sitting by the lounge where she has the perfect view of his chair, placing a hand on her mouth with a shock expression. A beta, Yamaguchi remembered.

She looks away, trying to compose herself. Fidgeting, glancing, and simply trying to act normal as if she wasn’t gasping seconds ago, Yamaguchi gradually became annoyed at the feign ignorance displayed. His hand went back to his tummy, resting near his abdomen with his thumb caressing his skin. He doesn’t have a pregnancy bump as it usually appears in the second semester or so what the internet says.

“You okay?” Yamaguchi looks away from the beta woman then to the colleague sitting on his side. Another beta, a man older than him too, looking at him with concern. Even then, his eyes drop down to Yamaguchi’s hand coming out from his shirt.

Yamaguchi shows off a smile as small as it was. He replied, “I’m okay, just a bit hungry, that’s all.”

“Oh,” the man said back and suggested, “you can snack on the granola bars at the break room.”

“I will, thanks.” Yamaguchi got up from his chair. He already started to move out of his table when he heard a “wait!” then a couple of cursing he can vaguely hear being uttered under someone’s breath. He didn’t know why he instinctively looked back. Curiosity wasn’t overwhelming and his hunger took control of his thoughts, and yet here he is watching a man hesitating in his place.  
The beta’s glance was on his face then it slowly directed to his stomach which made Yamaguchi shield his baby with a hand on top of Tsukishima’s shirt. His baby. He referred to it as such, someone to love and cherish. Not just a bundle of cells that’s swimming in his body.

It made him gulp, feeling his stomach flutter at the supposed future of holding his pup in his arms, feeling their soft skin on his calloused fingertips. He thought of a future, one Yamaguchi was unsure of pursuing.

“Is there something wrong?” Yamaguchi asked, ushering the man to hurry with whatever they’re planning. He puts a foot a step back, preparing to bolt if the beta says something negative.

“Nothing,” the beta answered back, looking away, sighing. Yamaguchi observes the slouch, trying to sense the pheromones coming from the man and hopes it tells him something. But the dynamic made it difficult and if the man was completely emotional, Yamaguchi could hardly tell.

“Okay,” Yamaguchi responds, not exactly disappointed but overly happy at his patience wasted. His stomach grumbled for the second time, aching for something to munch on, and Yamaguchi was aware that his situation was slightly more sensitive to the instinct. He faces the direction of the break room, already imagining the nutty texture of the granola bars the beta mentioned.

He took one step and that was all he could take when his colleague once again called out to him. “Just… “ He stopped, waiting. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

“I will.” Yamaguchi moves away, step by step. Hurrying to the break room from the corner of the office, his walking was fast paced but cautious. He curled his toes, minding at the other inhabitant in his body and pants when he entered, holding on to the doorframe of the area. The other hand slips through his shirt, feeling his skin damp from the impromptu exercise.

The break room was empty. Good, Yamaguchi thought, and went to the kitchen counter where a tray of granola bars were placed.

-

Suzuki Kanna.

It was the omega’s name. She was important - to be respected in the company and yet Yamaguchi never heard of her until his awful time in the restroom. She wasn’t mentioned a lot and Yamaguchi knew it was something to do with her dynamic.

She is a busy woman, Yamaguchi was certain of the fact. Despite his call from last night, assuring that her lunch break was empty of any meetings or the likes, Suzuki-san could potentially forget about her promise. She’s probably busy with something else. Yamaguchi was simply an employee, barely breaking any impressive records or with an admirable background that piqued any interest from anyone.

However, he stood ground. His knuckles pressed against the door. He sighed, once, before inhaling it all in. He stares ahead, trying to listen in on the noises coming from inside and hearing her voice muffled by the barrier between them.

Yamaguchi finally knocked.

“Is that you, Yamaguchi-kun?” He stiffens. A hand placed on his stomach as he panics. The footsteps from the other side became louder, almost at the door before Suzuki-san stopped walking. There was a click and the door opened, swinging slowly with a creak that grated his ears.

“Ah, dear, I knew it was you,” Suzuki-san said to him, her expression brightens, erasing the hard look on her face.

“Good afternoon,” Yamaguchi greeted her with a bow, looking down on her shoes and the bows placed on top. His eyes drifted upwards as he straightened his back, curious at the floral dress she wore today. It was definitely a better look for Suzuki-san than the typical office attire she had worn yesterday, especially with the dull shade of gray her entire wardrobe was painted with.

“Did you already have your lunch, Yamaguchi-kun?” Suzuki-san asked him and he nodded, muttering the type of meal he had moments ago; fish and vegetables. He yearns for pork but he gagged at the thought, even smelling from afar had almost ruined his appetite.

“That’s good. I had already prepared the desserts but I was a bit worried if you haven't had your lunch yet.” she tells him and grabs his hand to pull him inside her office.

He wasn’t reluctant with the gesture, nor surprised at the sudden contact either, instead Yamaguchi moved along to where she wanted him to be. He sat down on the same chair as she pulled hers next to his. Her desk has a tray of sweets and two mugs of tea.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Suzuki-san!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, ashamed at the preparation the omega had done for their supposed meeting. He was guilty at his assumption of Suzuki-san dismissing their agreement now.

“It’s fine, dear. Besides, your little one might want some sweets.” Another nickname Yamaguchi has to memorize, to worry about the inevitable.

 _Little one_. Yamaguchi was desperate to try the words out with his own mouth, to feel his tongue roll from the syllables. He looked down on his abdomen, observing his hand going inside his shirt and feeling his tiny belly roll. He’s going to be big soon, like the globe in Tsukishima’s room and the thought didn’t annoy him as it used to when the alpha jokes about him being pregnant. _It_ will grow bigger, heavier.

What if he wants the little one to stay little? It was a suggestion he considered, a couple of times, the scenarios played out nicely in his head. He didn’t have to worry about his friendship with Tsukishima and things will go back to how it used to be, albeit not exactly better.

“I hope you like chamomile, Yamaguchi-kun,” she tells him, offering his own mug of tea which he received and replies with a wavering, “Thank you.”

“It’s all I have in the office to be honest, it calms me down when dealing with a lot of workload,” she added and Yamaguchi shook his head, smiling to show off his appreciation.

“It’s fine, Suzuki-san,” Yamaguchi reassures her and blows the steam from his tea, touching the rim with his lips and watching her take a bite of a cookie. He took a sip and immediately placed the mug on his lap, wincing at how hot the tea was.

“So, I took it that the results of the pregnancy tests were surprising, yeah?”

“I guess? I mean, you and others have already pointed it out to me since yesterday so the positive signs weren’t much of a shock. That and you called it ‘little one’ a while ago.”

“Did it make you uncomfortable?”

“I really don’t know,” he answered, shrugging, staring at the clear sight of the bottom of his mug. He had finally said the nickname and while there’s victory in saying it, there’s always doubt in his mind. Does he even want the baby? The pup resting in his stomach. The little one whose presence took over his thoughts.

Yamaguchi licked his lips, raising his mug once more. The steam heating up his chin and his throat suddenly parched. Another sip, another dissatisfaction from the pain.

“But I still want to go to the clinic you mentioned,” Yamaguchi said to her, “wanna have a clear layout with my options for the pregnancy, especially with the, uh, abortion if possible.”

Suzuki-san stayed quiet, staring at him with a calculated look. Yamaguchi took a cookie and began to munch it entirely, it helped ease the anxiety within him. The quiet that differs from before, how he couldn’t lay his back on the chair and straightens his posture to mirror Suzuki-san’s formality. Was there something wrong with what he had said? The clinic wasn’t really his idea from the start either.

“I see,” Suzuki-san finally responded with a sigh before taking a sip of her tea. “I had already contacted a friend of mine for your check-up and while she agreed for the surprise appointment, she can only do it tonight. Is that okay with you, Yamaguchi-kun?”

“It’s fine,” Yamaguchi reassures her.

She nodded, showing off a smile that heaves out his anxiety off his system. He really thought the worst. Now, he has hours to waste away through his work before he can finally meet a professional towards his pregnancy, someone who’ll probably convince him to make the next move. Whatever that is, to be honest. As of the moment, Suzuki-san tries to take his mind off with a light conversation, a topic about work they can agree on and some insights towards her life.

-

Yamaguchi knew he hurried some of his paperwork, however, the speed was all that’s different. His manager was surprised at the workload he had presented, the word flawless was said under the man’s breath. As the alpha looked over each page of his reports, he stayed close to the door, standing with his hands fidgeting on the ends of his shirt. His shoes shuffled on the carpeted floor, hearing the clock ticking on the wall.

The man hums, putting his chin between his fingers as the other hands raise Yamaguchi’s reports before letting out a sigh and dumps it all on his desk. The man clasped his hands together and cleared his throat.

“Did I do something wrong, sir?” Yamaguchi asked, dreading the flaws he could’ve done without notice. He was sure the numbers were accurate, especially checking it multiple times.

“Not really, Yamaguchi-kun,” the alpha answers back, waving his worries off with a hand. “Just impressed at the amount of time you had to finish it all. I usually have the reports by the end of the week and you managed to complete it less than that.”

Yamaguchi sighed, relieved at the compliments he received. The alpha’s pheromones had drifted off to him, despite the distance, and he can sense the pride his boss has over his report. It pleases him, igniting the satisfaction he has over his performance and the fact he hadn’t asked anyone to check it meant he can do his report by himself now.

He looked at the clock, the time indicating that it was fifteen minutes before he'd meet Suzuki-san at her office. And yet, he wanted to go ahead of time.

“Would it be okay if I leave early today, sir?”

“Do you have some sort of an appointment you have to go to?” The alpha gazes at his stomach, staring at it for a couple of seconds before glancing at his face. Yamaguchi wasn’t uncomfortable with the curiosity behind his condition but was cautious enough to hide his hands behind him. He didn’t want to make it more obvious aside from the pheromones that have already aired out his pregnancy to the world.

The alpha sighed, and so did Yamaguchi, burdened by the heavy tension between them. It was a request his boss could’ve refused and it wouldn’t change anything on Yamaguchi's part. It was simply a wishful idea.

“Alright, you can leave,” the alpha agreed, “but you have to leave the office as fast as you can, Yamaguchi-kun. Not everyone would be pleased with the fact I’m giving you privileges to ditch work early.”

Nevertheless, Yamaguchi bows down, exclaiming, “Thank you!”

The alpha clicked his tongue, dismissing him with a wave of a hand. Yamaguchi exited the alpha’s office, elated at the acceptance before it instantly fades away at the stifling silence coming from the main area of his department. He looks around, watching everyone doing work in their own places and his eyes land on his chair. Ito-san was there, standing behind his office chair, looking over his stuff on his desk.

His feet moved on its own, quickening his pace as he held his breath. His heart was beating fast, adrenaline pumping and his common sense was blinded by the rage taking over his decision.

“Ito-san!” He shouts and the pencil she holds falls off her grip. She jolts from the loud pitch of his cracked voice but he glossed over the fact. Instead, he focused on the female alpha who overstayed in his only safe space of the office.

Yamaguchi pushed her away from his place, breathing heavily. She falls to the floor and the thud pleases him, almost letting out a purr at the dominance he displayed against her. His hand pressed down on his stomach, disliking the barrier on the form of Tsukishima’s shirt that forbade the skin contact he yearns right now. With the annoyance came the overwhelming rage he has on the alpha, expressing it through the glare he directed at her.

Huffing in delight at the submission she ended up on showing. He grabs his bag and begins packing his stuff back inside. His eyes went over each object he held in his hand while putting up a bold front for the people that stayed seated in the entire moment. Ito-san seems content on the floor as well.

He zips his bag closed and slings one of the handles on his shoulder. He didn’t bother to bid his colleagues goodbye nor a glance at Ito-san on the floor. He walked away and, for some reason, he didn’t want to come back.


	6. Chapter 6

Yamaguchi waited. The seconds passing by and so did his emotions from the moment in the office. His anger dies down to annoyance and the high he got from his dominance somehow turns to guilt. He bit his lips, cursing at the regret he has on his behavior. Running was supposed to be limited during pregnancy, right? And yet he basically bolted from one side of the office to another, going as far as to assault a coworker of his. 

Well, Ito-san did deserve it. But, still…

The sound of the door opening snaps him away from his thoughts. Gone was his frustrations playing with him and was now faced with a woman that aired confidence. He pushed himself away from the wall, straightening his back to mimic Suzuki-san’s posture. Then, he bows down, greeting the other omega with a soft tone of his voice, quite the opposite of what he imagines in his head. 

“Good evening to you too, Yamaguchi-kun,” she greeted him back and, once again, Yamaguchi faced her with a small smile. “How was work?” 

They began to walk, slowly. “It was good, Suzuki-san,” he lied, biting his tongue to hide the hiccups. 

She only nodded, despite her brows furrowed immediately sensing his pheromones worsening by the question. His hand travels down to his stomach, and unlike before, enjoys the soft texture of the alpha’s shirt on his palm. 

Both of them had their focus divided, especially Yamaguchi who awed at the areas he had never ventured in the company. The halls were far spacious, a bit fancy from the occasional decorations they passed by. They finally settled in the elevator hall, Yamaguchi watched as Suzuki pressed a button and heard a ding coming from somewhere. 

“Are you sure, dear?” she asked him, worried. Her eyes move around, observing him from top to bottom, her attention lingering at his hand on his stomach but never mentions the gesture. “I can sense your pheromones and it’s far from good, Yamaguchi-kun.” 

He fidgets in his place, unsure where to start exactly. The pregnancy still provided him nothing but indecisive thoughts and work has been awful with the rise of Ito-san’s invasive behavior. Friends were nothing but memories that lingered around in his head and love was somewhere far, unreachable and completely unrequited as far as he knew. 

Nevertheless, Yamaguchi opens his mouth, trying to think of a word to begin his reply. And there was none. He looks down on the floor, seeing his own reflection at the tiled floor and watching himself blinked away at the sting of tears forming. 

Suzuki-san probably finds his pheromones overwhelmingly horrible to stand close now. 

Yet he feels a hand on his shoulder, nudging him to face on his right, and Yamaguchi glances at Suzuki-san. Ultimately, he looked up at the omega who was spreading comforting pheromones and it soothes the ache in his heart and the tightness on his throat. He sniffed but there was none to pull back. 

“It’s okay, Yamaguchi-kun.” Her voice was breathy, almost to a whisper, and rubbed his back. He wanted to reason out that it was the pregnancy hormones, nothing else. Not the yearning he buried underneath all the stress he gets from day to day life and just something he brushes off like it’s nothing. However, his need for an excuse was overpowered by his silence. 

“I’m always here for you,” Suzuki-san tells him and gently pushed him inside the elevator after the doors were opened. He didn’t mind the gesture nor bothered by it, really. He can barely feel her hands pressed against his back. “You can tell me when you’re ready or don’t tell me, it doesn’t change the fact that I care for you.” 

“... thank you, Suzuki-san.” It took a lot for him to say it but, even then, he forces it out. She didn’t reply back and preferred to nod at his words which he appreciates. There wasn’t anything for him to say.

The door closes and it dings afterwards. Yamaguchi can feel the elevator’s vibration on the floor, bringing down the realization that he was somewhere far from his usual walk from home. He didn’t exit through the front of the company, didn’t walk to the train station and wasn’t forced to endure the rush hour. 

-

The ride to the clinic was quiet. Yamaguchi didn’t mean to stereotype Suzuki-san’s taste in cars but seeing her struggle climbing up to enter the driver’s seat was amusing. Her vehicle was bulkier and black, something he’d usually see advertised for alphas and betas. The leather seat was smooth on his skin and the lemon freshener tickles his noise from its mixture of something spicy. 

There weren’t any decorations inside either. 

Suzuki-san managed to park her car in the clinic’s parking lot, stationed on the side. The area was compact and limited but, fortunately, there weren’t a lot of vehicles to fight over for space. Yamaguchi hops out of the car and groans at the impact of his landing, slightly panicking at the immediate throbbing sensation on the soles of his feet and wonders if the impact will transfer to his baby. 

With a hand on his stomach, he sighed out his worries. He keeps himself calm by walking, gently, and moves away from the car. Glancing at the familiarity Suzuki-san displays for the clinic, how she walked fast to the entrance, her heels tapping on the pavement and her keys jingles on her hand. Yamaguchi can’t help but tries to keep up with her pace with his hand gripping his shirt tightly, silently apologizing to the little one for his exercise. 

“Sadly, we have to hurry, Yamaguchi-kun!” Suzuki-san exclaimed, looking at him from behind with her pheromones sending out her apologies. “The doctor only owed me a favor but he’s sadly not known for his patience.”

Damn. Yamaguchi ran to her side, widening the gaps between his steps and panting at the increased intensity. Suzuki-san only offers him a mutual look of exhaustion, her forehead glisten underneath the light of the clinic’s entrance and she was taking deep exhales. 

The sliding door automatically opens and they both enter the clinic. The two of them heaves once before inhaling it all in, snorting at the confusion the people in the lobby gives them. However, Yamaguchi didn’t mind the attention, they didn’t know him and he doesn’t recognize all of them. He’ll simply be something to shrug about and go on with their time in the clinic. He eyes Suzuki-san’s reaction watching the woman flicked her hair off her shoulder and stride towards a hall on the right, her poise that he undeniably attempts to do the same. 

“It’s been a long time since I ran Suzuki-san,” Yamaguchi tells her. 

“Well, you have to do that more often than you’ve liked, Yamaguchi-kun,” she advised, glancing at him on the side before turning left. “Exercise helps elevate the pregnancy - if you wish to continue and even if you don’t there’s nothing wrong with the occasional run around the neighborhood.

“Besides the bastard threatens to close down the clinic if I don’t come in a time earlier than my usual clock out.” Suzuki-san clicked her tongue, glaring at the specific door at the end of the hall. She clenched her fists, stomping towards the door and banged it once. 

Yamaguchi flinches at the sound but nevertheless follows the omega to where she stood with her arms crossed and heel tapping on the floor. Fortunately, there weren’t any patients left waiting outside. 

The door opens and reveals a man taller than him with a broad figure and an intimidating expression. And yet his pheromones indicated that the man was an omega like him. Yamaguchi gulps, yelps at the attention he received from the man, hearing the hoarse groan that came with it. 

“Are you going to let us in?” Suzuki-san huffs at the eye roll but the man still steps aside for them to enter, inviting the two to a well-decorated room. It was like Suzuki-san’s office but with pastel blues and oranges, a couple of stuffed toys placed on a crate and the typical posters of mothers, fathers and children hung on the wall. 

“Let’s go to the examination room,” the man said to them, his tone deep but comforting. He opens the door and all of them enter inside, Yamaguchi observes the large machine standing near the bed. 

“Hey, kid.” The man points on the bed. “Lay down, will ya’? Gonna make this fuckin’ quiet so I can nap on it next.” 

“Jesus, do you talk to your patients like that?” Suzuki-san berated the doctor who simply shrugged at the harsh tone and Yamaguchi just let the simmering annoyance slide. Suzuki-san didn’t seem too negative at his treatment and it seems it was friendly banter Yamaguchi doesn’t have a business asking. 

“You didn’t even introduce yourself yet,” she pointed out and the man groans, looking annoyed at the lack of introduction exchanged. “Takahashi… what about you, kid?” The doctor didn’t look at him, he was more focused at a task. 

“Yamaguchi,” Yamaguchi answers back which was left without a reply whatsoever. No word or sound coming out from the doctor’s mouth and he was more entertained at the huff Suzuki-san presented. He was fine with the treatment though, it didn’t mean any harm and he knew the moment was granted out of a favor as Suzuki-san had stated before. 

Yamaguchi did what he was told and watched Takashi-san cover his hands with gloves before turning on the device. Suzuki-san stood beside him, holding his hand and gripping it gently. He reciprocate the gesture and offered a smile to her.

“How come you’re not taking any kind of tests to actually confirm if he’s pregnant or not?” Suzuki-san asked Takahashi. 

“‘Can already tell he’s pregnant just by the pheromones,” the doctor explained, “besides, it had been probably weeks since he got knocked up so his pregnancy pheromones have gotten clearer, and I’m a doctor specialized in omega reproductive health and pregnancy.” 

The doctor faced him with a bottle and ordered, “Raise your shirt up, kid. It will be cold but it won't bite.” 

Once Yamaguchi was done with the request. The doctor poured a generous amount of cold gel on his stomach which caused him to shiver. He held his whine in place, biting down it with crooked thinned lips. Suzuki-san chuckled before continuing on with the stoic attitude at the sight of the doctor smirking at her. 

“And here I thought you don’t ‘loosen up’ to your employees or something,” Takahashi-san teased. 

“Shut up!” 

Takahashi-san replaced the bottle with a thick cylinder wand and gently pressed it on his lubed stomach, moving it around as he stared on the screen, humming. There was silence, its minutes feeling like hours as Yamaguchi listened to the hum of the machine, watching the screen of black and white blobs that represented his stomach. Suzuki-san holds his hand tighter, her pheromones radiated her impatience. 

“And there is the baby.” Yamaguchi snaps his attention at the somewhat really tiny white circle the doctor was pointing on the screen. “Small like a pea but I usually describe them as a contact lense, round and easily crushed.” 

“Your dark humor doesn’t fit the situation.” 

“I guess but from the lack of a mark meant he spent his time with someone who wasn’t planning on completing the bond during his heat, yeah?” 

“That’s enough Takahashi!” 

“Well apologies for assumptions.” Takahashi didn’t sound apologetic and took something from the moveable table near the machine. “But if he wants an abortion before his alpha friend finds out about the pregnancy then it’s his choice.

“Here.” Takahashi-san gives him a pamphlet. “There’s an abortion clinic near here. It’s really convenient, really, despite the backlash it received years ago… well, until the main dude, an alpha by the way, paid his mistress to have an abortion and things esclated from there.” 

Yamaguchi holds on to the pamphlet, feeling its soft texture on his fingers. On the front cover was a doctor as he presumed from the lab coat, smiling at him, trying to look friendly and approachable. He skims through the information presented, digesting the welcoming words and the reassurance towards the procedure. Testimonies were printed at the end and fortunately the people behind it were anonymous. 

Overwhelm, it was an ambiguous emotion. It wasn’t entirely negative nor was it positive either. It was simply there, within him, trying to make him feel smaller in the situation he’s in. He breathed heavily, sitting up from the examination bed and felt the cold lube pouring down on his pants. But it didn’t matter and so were the comforting words from Suzuki-san that gradually became a white noise in his ear. 

He heard her shouting at the doctor who wasn’t thrilled at it. 

-

Work. He wanted to work. He ached for the smell of coffee in the air, the sounds of telephones ringing and the typing of keyboards. The chatters of work and anything else intertwined in a conversation. To still remember the high he got from a simple compliment received from his boss. And yet, Yamaguchi couldn’t take his colleagues’ evasive attitude anymore, not when Ito-san had become more confrontational with her methods. He couldn’t endure it any longer.

Two days. That’s how long since he stayed home, away from the attention that follows his every move and the uncomfortable guilt that’s slowly becoming clear with Suzuki-san’s presence at work. He owed her a lot and he felt wrong for taking so much without giving something in return. Her time and effort weren’t wasted but he can’t continue taking advantage of her pity. 

Yamaguchi wouldn’t be surprised if she thought lowly of him and just took him under her wing in order to supervise his actions. He wonders if she knew about Ito-san. 

He sighed, staring at the large group of paragraphs display in his laptop. He skimmed through it twice, edited the entire thing multiple times before resigning at the final output. The cursor laid on top of the send option and he knew how large of a commitment he had to face if he ever clicks on it. Work, he loves it. He chose the company for a reason - has been eyeing at the building after his first tour around the area and his fascination only got worse when omegas from the different department came in to market it as an omega-friendly environment. 

The pay was great, so were the benefits. The pros and cons that had been laid out in his head and the pamphlet he was given had only been thrown in the trash recently. 

His phone vibrated and he immediately drove his attention away from his resignation letter to his phone that was under Tsukishima’s clothes. Surprisingly, the alpha was calling him, for the second time. Yamaguchi accepted the call, slowly placed his laptop on his side as he lay down on his bed. His head resting on the alpha’s shirt, frowning at the scent slowly fading into obscurity. 

“Tsukki…”

“Yamaguchi.” The alpha says his name. His voice was hoarse, lower than his usual tone and Yamaguchi hums in delight. Shivering from the chills he got from the alpha. “You sound tired.” 

“Yeah, just work making me tired, that’s all.” It wasn’t exactly a lie either. “How have you been?” 

“Don’t overwork yourself especially when I’m not there to take care of you,” Tsukishima tells him, which only made Yamaguchi giggle rather than dread at the mothering his friend had kept a secret from others. “Just practicing, that’s all. The team are going to have a party at some place near the hotel though and Konegawa is already begging on his knees just so I can go with them.” 

The alpha sighed, deeply and clearly exaggerated. Yamaguchi can’t help but chuckle at the obvious amusement. 

“Don’t be mean to him, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi replies back, “he just wants you to have fun and really wants the both of you to become friends - I think that’s what he said to me the first time we met.”

Tsukishima clicked his tongue and Yamaguchi knew the annoyance the alpha felt at the meeting. The alpha and him were hanging out at a mall when they accidentally encountered Konegawa-san and, well, Tsukishima wasn’t pleased by the odds more so at the excitement the other alpha had expressed at knowing Tsukishima had a friend outside work.

“He’s annoying,” the alpha said, “but I’ll let it slide this time.”

“I hope you’ll have a good time, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi grinned, snickering at the pain Tsukishima expressed. 

“Anyways… I have to go.” Yamaguchi sighed and replied back, “It’s okay, Tsukki. You’re busy, there’s nothing wrong with it. I’d be more worried if you weren’t.”

“I wish I had more time talking to you. I finally realized how little we hang out now.” 

“There’s nothing we can do about it, though.” Yamaguchi gulps, moving out from his bed and sitting down on the floor. He looked at his luggage, wide open with his clothes neatly folded in place. His eyes began to sting from tears forming and he tried to calm himself by inhaling and exhaling, hoping his muted sniffs would stay as such. 

“The best thing we could do is to cherish the little moments we have of each other.” Yamaguchi’s voice wavered a bit and he bit his tongue at the realization. He hoped Tsukishima didn’t notice it. 

“Let’s hang out, then, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima proposed, “There’s still days left but I hope you can arrange your timeline to fit my day off.” 

“I’ll try, Tsukki!” They bid their farewell afterwards with Yamaguchi wiping his tears off his face. He sniffs, a couple of times, trying to stand up properly and sat down on the edge of his bed. Pulling his laptop closer to him and, with a sense of finality, sent his resignation letter. He hopes that the one who read it will make sure to pass it on to his colleagues with the same amount of disappointment and anger he has for them. 

But right now, he has to continue on packing his stuff. Most of it was in the process of being shipped to the apartment he managed to find in a nick of time. Somewhere far from Miyagi, his home, with his friends and family living here peacefully.


	7. Chapter 7

He was surrounded. Completely overshadowed by the people around him, moving in different directions. Their attention completely divided but overall focused on the goal of arriving at their destination. Yamaguchi knew the feeling quite well. He has his luggage in his hand as the other tightens its grip on the handle of his bag. He watched the previous train leaving the station, knowing where it would go.

However, he fears that he’d be bound in the city for one more night if he missed his train. His anxiety creates a horrifying scenario, one where he’s chasing his train until it finally leaves his sight. He gulps at the possibility. Money was tight and he’d be damn if he spent it on a capsule room or an internet café.

Then, the train station’s jingle cuts off his worrying. Pulling him out of his mind to enter back into the real world, where the area he stood was noisy, the scent wasn’t awful and the humidity began to dampen his armpits.

An announcement was heard, his train was up next to arrive at the station, leaving him no less than a minute to compose himself. Inching closer to the tracks, a step behind the large sign painted on the floor where the doors will be opened.

He looks from his right to his left, from the distance was a figure of a train, despite its hazy appearance from the summer heat, coming closer to the station. His toes curled at the excitement, a momentary success that Yamaguchi relishes and the distance he puts between him and the rest has slowly become a reality.

As the train speeds past him, hitting him with a large gust of winds. Yamaguchi smiles, putting his entire weight on his feet to withstand it all and was the first one to enter when the doors opened. He was greeted by an attendant and was directed to an array of seats for him to choose.

Yamaguchi immediately went to a seat not directly near the bathroom but far from the people that gathered on the front. He placed his luggage on the carrier above and sat down on the seat next to the window. His bag was on his lap, holding it tightly on his chest as his chin was placed on top.

“Finally,” he whispered. His exhaustion finally settled in after days of adrenaline pumping hard within him. He barely got any sleep, losing his appetite was a struggle and he was almost close from backing out his plan, regardless of the regret stirring from his voluntary unemployment.

He took out his phone from one of his bag’s pockets, checking the pack’s group chat and sighed at the silence. He hated its familiarity but it had become a sight he used to cope with his decision.

Selfishness, the word seeps into his mind. Completely ingrained and easily associated with the moves and thoughts he has for the plan. He sees the good from it, albeit was also unsure what the others would think, leaving him with his own interpretation of each member.

His phone vibrated and Yamaguchi grips it tightly, realizing that an upcoming call from Suzuki-san was the least of his wants at the moment. He huddled closer to the window, slouching and putting his bag on the armrest, wanting to muffle his voice.

He pressed his phone on his ear with a hand covering his mouth. “Hello?”

“Where are you, dear?” Suzuki-san questions in a haste, her tone was strict but also desperate. Yamaguchi could hear the sounds of her heels tapping on the floor and her pants that had wavered her voice. “I haven’t seen you in days, darling! I thought you had a day off or two but, now, I’m not so sure. You didn’t even contact me about what you wanted with the ba-uh, fetus.”

“Excuse me.” His attention snaps to the person intervening the conversation. Yamaguchi glances to the aisle, taking multiple takes at the attendant that carried a trolley. A beta from their pheromones, Yamaguchi straightens his posture and hides his phone underneath his thigh.

“Would you like something to eat?” The attendant asked him and showed a menu.

Yamaguchi shook his head. “Maybe later? Not exactly hungry at the moment.”

The attendant nodded, moving forward before pausing almost at the end of his row. She looks back at him, her eyes going down to his phone which he instantly took out from his thigh. The attendant points down on the side of her trolley where a sigh was plastered with a warning of phone users.

“It’s to not disturb the other passengers, so it’s best to message them instead,” the attendant explained before moving away, leaving Yamaguchi to slouch from humiliation. Looking down on the floor with his phone hanging from his fingertips, he observed the screen, noticing the lack of a white background indicating Suzuki-san had ended the call.

Or it was because of him.

There was a notification of a message and he taps it, directing him to the messaging app with Suzuki-san’s name written on top.

“Dear, if you are having trouble with something, you can always tell me about it. I won’t judge.”

She sent another. “Where are you, Yamaguchi-kun? I had already scolded Takahashi for his behavior for an hour because I know his words might have something to do with your absence. He wanted to apologize and offered to settle your appointments for free, even aiding you during labor… if you wish to continue with the pregnancy. But if you want an abortion then I’ll be with you along the process, Yamaguchi-kun.”

Yamaguchi sniffs. Blinking his tears down to his cheeks and gulps. His vision was blurry and he knew there were droplets of his own tears on the screen, he can feel it on his fingertips. He wipes it all out with the sleeves of Tsukishima’s turtleneck. He grimaces at the gradual damp texture on the ends but nevertheless continues on, typing out his excuse.

“I don’t want the abortion. I just want to be away from my life right now, I know it’s immature to bring my baby along while I’m going somewhere for a while… but I don’t think I can handle the stress from home at the moment. I’ll contact you when I’m in trouble but don’t worry, I’m staying somewhere safe. :)”

His finger hovers over the sent option, shaking with hesitation. He wasn’t pleased with the emoji he put at the end and wonders if Suzuki-san would desperately panic at his attempt to downplay his idea. He ran away, Yamaguchi knew that’s what he’s doing, leaving most of his life to find himself, emotionally, in a cramp apartment in a city far larger than his home. He could’ve chosen a rural area and immersed at the scenery of rice fields and mountains but he doesn’t feel like it.

So, he pressed send and leaned against the backrest of his seat with a sigh. He touched his face, feeling the trails of his tears becoming cold. Yamaguchi stares at the fast-paced view, admiring the greenery of it all, despite the depressing farewell to one of his friends.

-

His new apartment was smaller than the one he had at home. A tiny kitchen with barely any space to prepare food. A living room that becomes a bedroom at night by setting his coffee table to the side and laying out his futon. The bathroom, too, was small and he couldn’t stretch his legs in the bathtub. At least the hall near the door was spacious. All in all, the place was okay. He didn’t need a lot of space and the stuff he brought didn’t take a lot of room when he arranged it.

When he was done setting up his apartment, it was the evening. Yamaguchi looks over the glass sliding door, witnessing the sun setting from afar, turning the sky to a dark shade of blue and black. The taller buildings near his room began to lit up, one by one, and he did the same with his apartment.

His stomach grumbled. He yawns at the day spent carrying heavy boxes with large steps around his small apartment. His refrigeration has yet to be turned on since there was nothing placed inside. And he knew there was a convenience store nearby and so Yamaguchi finally made his decision, grabbing a coat from a coat rack near the door and exited his apartment.

He went down the stairs on the side of the building and walked two blocks from his new home to the convenience store. The sliding door opened automatically and he heard someone greeting him from the counter, he only bowed his head at them. His attention strayed to the aisle where ready-made meals were placed and strolled towards it, looking at the options he has for dinner.

Yamaguchi didn’t take too long to choose though, especially when he picked a type of instant noodle to go along with it. He also put a slice of strawberry shortcake to his cart and a large bottle of green tea to cleanse his palate. He placed them all in the counter, watching a middle old woman, who was also a beta, did her thing on the other side.

“Hungry, huh?” She started a topic and Yamaguchi replied with, “Yeah. Too tired to make food at home.”

“I haven’t seen you around here,” she tells him, her eyes observing him, going up and down to inspect him closely. Yamaguchi grips the sleeves of his coat, refraining from hiding his stomach and smiles at her.

“You’re new here, right?” She questioned which left him responding with a slow nod and the woman began to blurt out words he didn’t hear. His attention was on his dinner, all of them slowly taking their time of being put inside a plastic bag, stacking one item over the other. He licked his lips, his stomach grumbling and the woman immediately hasten the process.

“Oh, shit!” The beta exclaimed, snapping Yamaguchi from his hunger and blushed, completely embarrassed that she caught him not paying attention. “I’m so sorry, I kinda lose focus there.”

“It’s okay.” Yamaguchi tried to elevate her worries, glancing at the apologetic expression of her face with his own concern, albeit overwhelmed by other emotions and instincts. She even wrapped the handles into a large, loose bow.

She shook her head, frowning. “Nah, don’t be okay with my mistakes, kid. Any longer than that and I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d eat me instead just to shut me up or something.” She hands him his meal and he pay the price shown on the cashier register in exchange. She thanks him and he muttered his own in return.

“... anyways, kid, have a great night and don’t eat too much junk food!” The lady exclaimed and smiled afterwards, causing him conflicted and hungrier from the conversation. She didn’t seek out another topic to cover and Yamaguchi was fine leaving the store right then and there. Until he glances to a poster on the glass wall of the store - a wanted help type of poster the store was advertising. He skims through the texts, mouthing the requirements that he knew he was qualified for the role.

He stood still, his head hanging at the sight with anticipation. Work, it’s what he desperately needs. And there was an opportunity he couldn’t ignore. It might have not been the same job he had days ago but his pregnancy limited his search to part time jobs that would probably hire him. If there was anyone willing to take him.

He strode back to the cashier register, desperately trying to emit Suzuki-san’s poise. He straightens his back, head raised and eyes facing the cashier with intent. Yamaguchi inhales, observing the curiosity clear on the beta’s face.

“You okay, kid?” She asked, “Got anything else you want to buy? Or did I miss one item somewhere.” She looks around her table, even the shelf behind her was inspected.

“Um, the poster,” Yamaguchi stutters, his imitation falters. He bits his tongue at the high-pitched tone at the end of his sentence but nevertheless persists. “It said you guys were hiring, right?”

“Yeah… you’re looking for a job, kid?” She questions, the familiar nonchalance faded in an instant with her arms crossed on her chest and her head slightly tilted to the side. Her stare differs from before, lacking the laidback attitude that he was familiar with and in front of him was a woman using her authority.

Yamaguchi gulps, realizing the woman was anything else but a mere employee of the store.

“Ye-yeah!” Yamaguchi answered. “I quit my job because there was something there… that was being mean to me and I couldn’t bare it anymore.” He glossed over the serious details. “So, I kinda jumped at the chance of having a job again, I guess. I don’t know, I don’t mind working here since I used to work at a mini-mart during college.”

The woman sighed; her hands placed on her hips before taking something from a drawer. Yamaguchi waited, clearly trying to look patient at the seconds ticking by as indicated by the clock hanged on the wall. He grips his plastic bag tighter, pulling it closer to his chest as he tried to get a view of the thing she was searching for.

“We usually have housewives and teens working for us all the time but it seems the neighborhood have changed, I think. I could barely have an employee stay longer than a few months before they hand over their resignation letter.” She hands him an information form – a form omegas had to apply after getting hired and the sight of it just washes down his panic. “Here, have that. Keep it as a good luck for tomorrow’s interview – around the early afternoon – since my husband will be the one asking the questions, not me.”

He bows down, clutching the form with his two hands, and shouted, “Thank you!” He heard her say something, dismissing his gratitude with mutters he didn’t listen. When he straightens his back, she grinned at him and he did the same.

“You won’t regret hiring me,” he said to her with determination.

“Yeah, well, I know you won’t,” she answers back. They bid each other farewell, she was waving at him, hyping him up with the thought of stacking canned food in an aisle. But he didn’t mind it, really. Instead, he wishes that he could stack the entire store if it meant having income to support himself and his baby.

He placed his mildly wrinkled form into his plastic bag and patted his stomach, smoothing the folds of his coat down and exited the store.

“Oh!”

“Sorry.” Yamaguchi didn’t even realize there was someone next to him, much more bumping against a person shorter than him. An omega, he notices by the pheromones. He looks back to the store, trying to search for the person he bumped into but it seems they were nowhere to be found with what available view he has from the outside.

Yamaguchi simply shrugs off the experience. Food was on his mind alongside the interview he had to prepare.

**_ _ _ _ _**

_“Are you sure you’re going to be alright, Kenma?”_ It was a question he was accustomed to. Completely repetitive, overly boring to answer. Kenma used to write long paragraphs about his routine, detailing the slow-paced events of his games down to his clothes. And Kuroo eats it all up. His plan on getting the alpha off his back, well, backfired against him.

 _“Buying food.”_ Kenma sends it without a glance as he eyed the ready-made meals on an aisle, moving from one side to the other without a hint of interest. He hums, frustrated. He craves to eat but the problem was what kind of food to eat.

 _“Again?”_ Oh, that was new. The exclamation was omitted from the word, finally. The exaggeration was unnecessary and Kenma always hears Kuroo’s words whenever he reads it. _“Kenma, stop eating junk. I cooked some food enough for the both of us and we can heat it up in your place.”_ The ‘if you want’ was also removed.

The alpha was demanding. Kenma shivered, already hearing Kuroo growling after saying his typical mothering phrases, looking at him with narrowed eyes and with a resolute that couldn’t be faltered with empty promises. He bit his lip, refraining to let out a moan from his mouth. His goosebumps have also risen and he really wanted to text the alpha to point the fault on him.

But he didn’t.

 _“I am buying vegetables.”_ He quickly replied before searching for images that fit his lie, scrolling down multiple pictures of produce before picking a picture that was clearly low quality, blurry and seemingly genuine.

He sent the picture to Kuroo, hoping the alpha would be swayed by the supposed evidence of his shopping and went back to buying the same cup ramen he had yesterday. And the day before, even last week was mostly filled with instant ramen. If his tolerance for people was high, he’d go to an authentic ramen shop a couple of blocks near the apartment building.

He placed the cup on the counter, listening in to the deep sigh Watanabe Himari had let out. “Really, Kenma?” Kenma only shrugged as a response, zoning out of the mutters about nutrition and balanced diet, with his attention at a tiny display of pregnancy tests on the counter.

Kenma had been meaning to buy one. Needing one, to be precise. After two weeks of non-stop vomiting and overwhelming sense of fatigue, Kenma could, unfortunately, reduced his condition to pregnancy. Although, his unhealthy lifestyle could’ve been the true culprit of his symptoms. Anyways, he had his heat weeks prior and had Kuroo took care him of physically, leaving them victims of primal urges.

It was his idea after all. Kuroo had been reluctant with the plan more so with Kenma wanting to tend to his needs during his rut cycles. But the alpha caved in after a couple of trials and errors and things were fine between the two. The exchange was beneficial and their friendship has not suffered any issues towards it.

Well, until right now.

“You’ve been spacing out, Kenma…” Himari-san snapped her fingers between his eyes and Kenma only blinks, twice. He leaves his thoughts for now, grabbing two boxes of pregnancy tests from the display and gives it to Himari-san.

“I want to buy these as well,” he said, observing the hesitation in her eyes. She was curious but regardless of her opinions towards the matter. Himari-san keeps it quiet, taking the boxes off his hands and checks them out. Kenma heaves through his nose, his shoulders feeling lighter from completing his main objectives. Now he has new quest, one he’d rather settle in his own bathroom, alone.

She hands him a plastic bag full of his purchases, she only said, “Good luck, Kenma.”

Kenma responded with a nod and leaves the store with uncertainty. What will he do with good luck if he wasn’t sure with what he wanted? If he was even indeed pregnant then he’ll have to know how to cook, to clean and other chores he was desperate to learn before. It was the reason he left Kuroo’s apartment anyways.

He yearns for the independence people around him were at ease in doing and he knew he was being left behind.


	8. Chapter 8

“You okay, Tsukki?” Konegawa asked him, sounding worried but obviously afraid to lay the hand he extended. It hovered over his shoulder and Tsukishima looks at it with narrowed eyes, warning the alpha to not touch him in any way. Konegawa lets out a sigh, getting used to his non-verbal answers and knew not to press any of Tsukishima’s buttons. 

Before, Konegawa would flinch at his hardened expressions. Sometimes stuttering an apology from his attempts in kindling a friendship between them. They were one of the youngest players in the team and Tsukishima thought the mutual age range and history were still not enough to bloom into a relationship. However, Tsukishima couldn’t deny being an outcast was far worse than handling an idiot. 

“I’m fine,” Tsukishima replied, looking down on his phone and clicked his tongue at the silence. The lack of a notification coming from Yamaguchi. It was weird, Tsukishima could say the least. Normally, the omega would’ve sent him a message or two, especially when he’s arriving at the train station. 

A photo of the station would be nice. A selfie would be better. Yamaguchi has a beautiful smile; it wasn’t big nor small but enough to show off his teeth and the lines on his face. His freckles compliment his tan complexion and there’d be more from how hot the day was. Yamaguchi always prefer to show more skin during the summer and the omega have always been oblivious with the attention he gets from wearing a tank top. 

Tsukishima think it’s a good thing though. Yamaguchi doesn’t need to realize there’s some creep eye-fucking him in public. He also doesn’t need to know that Tsukishima perfected his alpha stance in order to ward off any assholes that attempts to get close with the omega. 

He’s possessive. He’s aware of it and he knows how awful it can be for the omega. Holding the omega close to him but never has the courage to lay a claim on him. To never openly express his feelings towards Yamaguchi even without the fear of a rejection. 

It pains him but he knew it’d be more painful if the omega couldn’t blossom on his own. With a mate by his side and a pup on the other. 

Tsukishima gulps, hearing Konegawa saying his name and shaking him on the shoulder. He showed his nonchalance at the gesture, offering his annoyance that stop alpha from pestering him any longer. And yet, the screen of his phone reflected his real expression – his cowardice and his love with guilt flowing in between. 

“… you okay, dude?” Konegawa’s voice became clear despite the hushed tone the alpha used but, nevertheless, Tsukishima replied by looking at the alpha, nodding his head as his throat constricts. He tries to gulp his feelings and yet it stays, wanting to puke it all out. 

The train stops and the attendant announced they have arrived through the speakers. His teammates celebrated the arrival and the thought of home made him feel relieved as well. A distraction, it was what he needed and as he carried his luggage and his backpack out of the train and into a busy-looking station. The stress of fans has overthrown his love problems to the side, leaving him annoyed at a banner with his name and face welcoming home. 

“It’s Tsukishima!”

“Welcome, Tsukishima!”

“Tsukki!” Tsukishima snorts. Completely in disbelief at someone, a stranger no doubt, shouting the nickname Yamaguchi has given to him. He stares at Konegawa who pretended to be unaware at the shouts of ‘Tsukki’ aimed at him. 

“I blame you for this,” Tsukishima said to Konegawa. 

“Hey, man. It just slipped out of my mind, okay. The interview was getting good and I dropped your omega’s nickname into the conversation,” Konegawa explained for the nth time, sounding playful. He draped an arm around Tsukishima’s shoulders as they walked through the hall near the exit of the station. 

“Yamaguchi shouldn’t be okay with you using his nickname,” Tsukishima replies back, his attention split between the conversation as he looks for the sight of his brother. He bit his tongue, heating at the alpha’s word and assumptions of his relationship with the omega. “And he’s not my omega.” 

“Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that,” Konegawa dismisses his words and shows off his hand waving it all off. Tsukishima just shrugged, tired explaining to Konegawa and some of his teammate that the freckled omega following him around was a friend and nothing else. 

Konegawa bounced off of him and greeted some of his old teammates from Date Tech. Aone was present and Tsukishima noticed that the alpha hasn’t changed a bit, appearance-wise that is. When their eyes met, Tsukishima walks to the other side of the station, noticing his brother with a cap on his head and a t-shirt with a dinosaur print on the front. A diplodocus wearing glasses and a shiny tint next to it. 

“Oi, Kei!” Akiteru exclaimed, waving a hand at his direction with a grin on his face. Tsukishima would’ve showed off a scoff at the display more so at the attention they received from a few around them but he didn’t. He couldn’t. Not when his brother volunteered to took his time in order to give him a ride back home. 

He shows off a small smile and muttered his greeting. His brother seems content and patted him on the shoulder, his expression brightens. “Good to have you back, Kei!”

“Thanks… Aki.” Akiteru pouted at the nickname, scrunching his nose and shook his head. His brother, despite the years Tsukishima had used the nickname, was not fond of it. Sometimes pleading Tsukishima in calling him big brother once and, well, he hasn’t convinced Tsukishima enough to do it. 

It was embarrassing to call your brother ‘big brother’ when they’re both adults. At least that’s what he thinks.

“So, did you have fun?” Akiteru questions and the two began to walk to the parking lot outside the train station. As they exited the station, Tsukishima squinted his eyes, looking around to find his brother’s car parked somewhere. 

“You watched my games, Aki,” Tsukishima replied and followed his brother to a car parked to the right. His shoulders were aching from the heavy weight of his backpack and the sounds of his luggage rolling on pavement deafens his ears.

When they reached the car, Akiteru opens the trunk and Tsukishima placed his stuff inside before sitting on the passenger seat next to the driver. He sighs as his brother turns the engine on which lead to the air conditioning to start running as well. He relishes at the cool, hoping to lose the accumulated heat from the warm climate and leans against the backrest of his chair to rest. 

Finally, he thought to himself. 

“Yeah, but all I know from your games are statistics, the moves you did and the possible attacks the other team will try to do, Kei – and as much as I would like to talk about it. I just want to know if my little bro got to enjoy the sport he now works for.” Tsukishima notices his brother’s multiple glances at his side. 

Akiteru was known to tap on the stirring wheel if he was impatient for something and to think his mundane question was important made him question about it as well. Tsukishima did pursue volleyball as a career and like everyone else he was shock about it. The decision was a spur of the moment type of scenario but there were already coaches that has been eyeing at his height and his techniques during college. Also, he was unsure if he did want to become an employee at a museum. 

He loves dinosaurs but he wasn’t sure if he was serious making income with it. So, here he was. A volleyball player, kinda popular and really good with blocking spikes aim at his team’s side of the court. The other players were also friendly and that also includes Kyoutani whose been trying to say a couple of words to him. 

“Yeah, I’m having fun,” Tsukishima answered in honesty.

“Well, that’s great!” Akiteru cheered and raised his fist before putting it to the stirring wheel to hold it. “I never doubted that you’re having fun anyways, Kei. Just thought I wanted to hear it from you too. Anyways, we have to go back home quick or else mom’s gonna be pissed that the party boy is tardy.” 

He looks down on his phone, checking his notifications but still no sign from Yamaguchi. His brother paused from a red light and Tsukishima looks out to the city, the buildings were a familiar sight. A ramen shop on front of them then a shopping district across from it. Multiple apartment buildings stood in between the location and Tsukishima knew a couple of blocks on the right was Yamaguchi’s place. 

He gulps, his excitement surging straight to the idea he thought in a whim. Tsukishima yearns for the omega, desperately, and he guesses his brother, an alpha, picks up his pheromones that he drives to the direction to Yamaguchi’s apartment. 

“Maybe Yamaguchi’s free today,” his brother muttered and Tsukishima was hoping for it as well. It was the weekend which meant the omega was free from work. The omega could’ve been holed up in his apartment, especially with amount of overtime he had done during the weekdays and spent the entire Saturday morning restoring his energy. Yamaguchi could’ve been napping, zoning out of the real world and enter the land of dreams. 

Akiteru parked his car on the parking lot and they went inside the lobby. Ignoring the few stares at his direction, Tsukishima went to the elevator hall and pressed a button. His brother was behind him but they both entered inside as the elevator opens, feeling the tension between them. Akiteru gives off his worries through his pheromones and he knew he was emitting a mash of emotions; determined, worried and frustrated at the silence Yamaguchi had given to him. 

A ding was heard and the elevator stopped moving. Its doors open to the sides and Tsukishima hurried to wake the omega up from his possible nap. He can’t wait, he was taking large steps, eyeing on the entrance door of the omega’s apartment and clench his fists as it anticipates to feel its wooden texture on his knuckles. 

“Slow down, Kei!” But he couldn’t. He practically jumps on the last step towards the omega’s apartment and faces the door with determined look, glaring at it. Hoping it opens itself. 

“Damn, I know you like him and all but please don’t run on the hallway. I don’t want someone to open their door just to shout at us or something.” Akiteru slows down once he got close and crouch down with his hands on his knees and panting heavily. Tsukishima, too, was exhausted. The soles of his feet ache and so did his back. He was sweating on the sides of his face and his armpits have accumulate enough moisture to stick his clothes onto his skin. 

He licked his lip. And almost knocks on the door when it opens. 

Finally… 

“Oh, you’re looking for Yamaguchi, yeah?” It was Yamaguchi’s landlord that came out of the apartment. 

“Ah… yeah,” Tsukishima answered with uncertainty. The question didn’t sound right, not at all. It indicated a probability that left him scoffing at the thought. He stayed quiet, however, letting the man dig out something from his pocket and handed it to him. 

“He left this for you – told me that you’re gonna be around here this weekend,” the man stated, facing the door once more with Tsukishima’s eyes narrowing at the key to lock the door. He gripped the letter on his hand, inhaling before exhaling the shock he has on the action. 

What was going on?

“Yamaguchi really cleaned up the place but I wasn’t expecting him to be messy either,” the man started as he slips the key on to his pocket. “It’s good thing though, I don’t have to do much other than turning off the utilities.” 

The man was a beta. No wonder he couldn’t sense his bottled-up emotions rattling at the top, trying to push out the cap that holds everything in. His brother, on the other hand, was on his side, gripping his forearm and whispering his name underneath his breath. Akiteru gave him a warning and Tsukishima knew not to fight back the authority his brother has over him at the moment. 

“What do you mean?” Tsukishima clenched his teeth, breathing heavily and moving closer to the man before his brother tightens his grip as another warning. He towers over the man and witness the beta gulping, looking at the sides before clearing his throat. 

“Speak,” he demanded and the man did what was ordered, “Yamaguchi filed a notice that he was leaving the apartment, he cleans up the place and paid this month’s rent. I didn’t ask him why considering it was a probably some personal issues. I didn’t even read the letter, I promise! He begged me to give it you and I did my end of the favor.” 

“That can’t be true,” Tsukishima immediately denies the explanation but the man nodded, moving his head in a haste and offers another, “It is! I was even surprised that he was leaving too but I guess there could be something that was bothering him to leave, especially if he didn’t want you to know…” 

The beta narrowed his eyes at him, openly expressing his suspicion to Tsukishima who wanted to claim his innocence. He only sighed, his mind currently overworked, trying to recall any complaints the omega has told him to indicate any signs of leaving without notice. But there was none, in fact, he couldn’t remember if there were any moments that could pass as a hint. 

“Why?” The man only shrugged and Tsukishima didn’t push the beta to answer. He let the man walked away from the area, hearing the grumbles that faded away from the distance. Tsukishima walked closer to the door, staring at it and feel the wooden texture on his palm. It was cool just like the breeze that shiver down his spine, imagining the worse for Yamaguchi.

He blinks once then twice, sniffing in between. His licked his lips, pressing his forehead against the door and hopes he could listen to the noise inside. Hoping that everything the man has said were false and Yamaguchi was pranking him, trying to make his entrance dramatic. But it didn’t fit the omega’s personality.

And yet the love of his life slips out of his fingers with only a letter to tell him why. 

\- - - - -

Yamaguchi ate a light lunch consisting of grilled fish, miso soup, and rice and he washed it all down with water. Although, he did grab himself a cup of tea to soothe his nerves afterwards and, well, his beverage was effective enough to erase the urge to puke out his meal in the toilet. He looks at the time then to his outfit on the long mirror, inspecting his polo shirt and dark slacks. His shoes were still alright, despite looking worn down from the years he had used it. 

He pats his stomach before inserting a hand underneath his shirt and felt his abdomen on his palm. He caresses his baby, his little one. Still too small to form a bump and completely unaware on Yamaguchi’s love for them. His heart flutter at the thought of his pup and looks at the framed sonogram on top of a drawer near him, wanting to ingrained the picture of his baby in his mind. 

He did spent hours staring at the picture. Knowing that his pup was microscopic in size, vulnerable but not easily crushed. Yamaguchi wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt them, not even himself. He nodded at his resolution and finally let go of his stomach. 

“Let’s do this!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, showing off a grin on the mirror and eyes down on his stomach once more. He was motivated, completely driven with fire in his eyes and heart. 

-

Okay, Yamaguchi was terrified. The cashier’s – or Himari as she introduced herself – husband towers him in height, buff in every part inch of his body, with a face that’s permanently glaring. He shivered, watching the man reading his resume along with his information form. 

Yamaguchi bundles a bit of his slacks in his hands, tightly holding it to compose himself and listens to the hums coming from the air conditioning. He wanted to touch his baby, to break the barrier between him and little one and rubs his stomach until he can manage to calm down. He inhales then exhales, quietly, going over the interview they had done a while ago and realize they were now in the concluding end of the recruitment. Or so he thinks. 

“You’re nervous,” the man – Watanabe Haruto – points out. His eyes were still on his papers, Yamaguchi can see it move it from side to side, flipping the others he had completed and start on a new page. 

“I’m sorry,” Yamaguchi apologizes. 

“There’s nothing to be worried about, you didn’t answer anything wrong and you’ve got a good background,” Haruto-san compliments him and Yamaguchi sighs in relief, his shoulders slouching a bit and his breathing began to slow down with the revelation. 

Good, he has a chance. He just has to wait for Haruto-san to be done with his reading then afterwards they’ll shake hands, already scheduling him to show on a certain day as the man will start planning his shifts when he leaves. Once, Yamaguchi comes home from the interview, he’ll celebrate with curry and laze around the entire day. Then, he’ll regret his procrastination because he wanted to look at his savings before starting work. 

His day would be perfect. 

Almost. 

Yamaguchi hears Haruto-san voicing out his curiosity, his eyes squinting at his information form and glances to the other side of the room. Where Yamaguchi was sitting. His attention moves down to his stomach and he knew what the shock was. He didn’t even hide when his hand laid on top of his stomach, trying to hide his baby from the attention. A gasp was heard and Yamaguchi deduces his success down to a half, likely nearing zero if he continues with the ambiguity. 

“So, the medical condition…” 

“Yes, it’s pregnancy,” Yamaguchi said it without hesitation. It was inevitable and delaying the truth with his condition would lead to consequences he doesn’t want to experience. “I understand if you don’t want to hire me and I’m sorry if I didn’t say upfront with you, especially your wife, Haruto-san.” 

Haruto-san calls out to his wife at the cashier and Himari-san came as soon as she was called. Her hair was disheveled but her uniform was still intact, she was panting despite the short distance between the break room on the back of the convenience store and the cashier. 

“Geez, babe, can’t you call me a little softly, an old lady back there almost had a heart attack,” Himari-san complains, huffing with her arms crossed on her chest. She moves towards her husband and planted a kiss on his cheek. 

“It’s an emergency,” Haruto-san tells her and handed the papers to her. “I thought you read his papers.” 

Himari shrugs, “I just skim through the important stuff and went straight to his credentials. He’s a great candidate – overqualified but, well, he’s the only one that’s lining up for a job here, anyways.” 

“And didn’t read through his information form? Baby, that form is important, no wonder you didn’t tell me… of his condition.” They talk as if Yamaguchi wasn’t in the room and he was shifting in his seat at the tension he feels from the betas. Haruto-san hasn’t stopped glancing at him and Himari-san read through his resume before going to his information form. 

“Thought, it wasn’t important, sugar,” Himari-san excused when Haruto-san’s permanent glare darken at her which brought out a sigh from his wife, muttering the information Yamaguchi filled out neatly. 

Her voices fill out the room, leaving the air conditioning to become silent from Yamaguchi’s perspective. He listens carefully, anticipating for the rejective because of his pregnancy. He bit his lip when Himari-san’s voice became quiet, although the last syllable to a long end before facing him with a shock expression. 

“… pregnant,” she said, loudly. “You’re pregnant.” 

“Yes.” And Yamaguchi confirms it again.

“Wow.” It was the only word Himari-san had said with a loud tone of her voice before whispering to her husband. Their gazes were on him, specifically at the hand that tries to covered his baby. It wasn’t his little one’s fault. The baby wasn’t in the way of a job opportunity and Yamaguchi was aware at the prejudice most people viewed on expecting parents. Omegas were usually the target of it all. 

“Um, but, just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I won’t do the job the best as I can,” Yamaguchi interferes the conversation, “like you said I’m qualified for the job. I’m slightly unfortunate that I can’t carry heavy loads but I’m good on handling money. I’m not sure about your views on long maternal leaves but I also have a responsibility with my baby but it won’t interrupt me from doing my obligation with the store.” 

Yamaguchi stood up from his seat and bows down, although it wasn’t in the same low angle he was used to. “So please, hire me!” 

He gulps afterwards. His voice wavered towards the end and his desperation was clear through his pheromones, he was lucky that the Watanabe couple were betas or else they’d think low of him for showing off vulnerability. In a way, right now, he was. He begs for a job; he really needs one. He can’t rely on what’s left on his bank account and he wants the best for his baby. 

“Well, then, you’re hired.”

“Wha?” Yamaguchi stood straighten, speechless from the simple words being uttered. Himari-san sounded nonchalant at the decision and when he looks at her as he stood straight, she acted just as such. She shrugs at him and placed the papers on the table near her. 

She said it again. “You’re hired. You’re an employee to this tiny convenience store. Listen, we’re surprise with the pregnancy stuff but, I guess, there’s probably personal reasons you didn’t tell us beforehand, however, you did write it in the information form. And we also didn’t read your form and resume thoroughly before the interview.” 

“So, in short, it’s all our faults,” Haruto-san intervenes and walks towards Yamaguchi with a hand extended between them. Yamaguchi stares at it, watching the straighten fingers pointing at him and waiting for him to initiate the handshake. “Welcome to the family, Yamaguchi-kun.” 

Yamaguchi wanted to show off a professional front at his boss. Instead, he dips his head down, his hand hovering close to Haruto-san’s and slowly shook their hands together. He sniffs, once, then twice, his face wet with tears and a huge sense of relief wash over him. He has a job now, a source of income he can rely on. Sure, he knew the baby would leave a huge dent on iy and he’d have to face another dilemma with expenses once they’re here but right now, Yamaguchi leans on to his boss. 

He wraps his arms around the man and muffled his cries through Haruto-san’s shirt. 

-

Yamaguchi carries his plastic container of food, tightly gripping it on his hands as he exited his apartment. He walks up to the door next to his and stares at it. It was in the same color as his, wooden too. He knew the Nekoma setter was settled inside the apartment as he heard the omega opening and closing the door from the other side. 

Although, he wasn’t sure if the setter would be pleased to have him interrupt his time but nevertheless Yamaguchi persists in making acquaintances. Loneliness is a horrible feeling, one that kills a person slowly, drowning them in their own dark thoughts with no one to say otherwise. Yamaguchi might have his baby but having friends near his age was nice. 

He knocks on the door and waited, his feet fidgeting at the silence that surrounds him and his attempt. A rejection was his initial thought and he can recall that the Nekoma setter wasn’t the most extroverted person he encountered. So, he shrugs, brushing his worries out of the way with the thought of someone’s personality getting in the way rather than distaste aim at him. 

“Ah…” Yamaguchi lets out, stiffens as the door opens slightly and saw shoulder length hair coming out. The Nekoma setter’s eyebags were dark and his skin was pale, his lips were dry and tinted red. 

“Are you alright?!” Yamaguchi immediately went up close to the omega, his eyes darts on the facial feature and wondered the possible conditions that caused it. 

But then, he feels it. It brushes his skin, raising his goosebump and a shiver down his spine. Yamaguchi knew the feeling strongly, usually by strangers that he passes by on a day-to-day basis. He couldn’t feel his own but he knew others would catch on it quickly, like a banner on top of the omega’s head. He was… “pregnant.” 

“Mm… yeah, I am,” the Nekoma setter confirms it and Yamaguchi’s eyes widen at caution clear in the omega’s pheromones. Their hands clasped together, pulling his large hoodie down along with his eyes trying to evade Yamaguchi’s gaze. 

“So are you,” the omega added, pointing a finger on Yamaguchi’s stomach. 

“I am Yamaguchi Tadashi!” Yamaguchi chimed in and shoves his food on the Nekoma setter. “I thought it’d be great to offer you food as a gift and now that I know you’re pregnant then eat this to nourish your baby’s health!” 

He inhaled, staring at the Nekoma setter receiving his food and exhaled afterwards. Completely reassured to know he wasn’t rejected. 

“Thank you,” the omega said to him and Yamaguchi sees them observing the food through its transparent appearance. “Also, I’m Kozume Kenma but you can call me by my first name,” Kenma continued. 

Yamaguchi had never addressed someone by their first names before. He rarely called Tsukishima by his first name, usually in the setting of their cycles was when he comfortable calling the alpha Kei. He wasn’t surprised but a bit overwhelmed at how comfortable Kenma was being called as such, already dropping the fact during their actual introduction. 

He sips the information into his mind, wanting to debate it later and continue on with the present. 

“It’s just stirred vegetables though; I wish I could have mixed in with some meat for protein but I haven’t had the time to do groceries,” Yamaguchi stated. 

“You can cook?” It was Kenma’s turn to observe him and Yamaguchi didn’t seem to mind the curiosity he felt through the omega’s pheromones. He simply moves even closer and watched as the omega tilt his head in amazement for some reason. 

“Yeah, I do,” Yamaguchi tells Kenma, “I’m not really the best but I made sure to make it edible enough to eat without a problem.” 

Kenma hums and hold the container with one hand as he opens the door wider with the other. Yamaguchi can see some parts of the omega’s living room, a futon has yet to be tucked away into the closet and the TV was turned on but muted. He sees a laptop on top of a portable desk table and Yamaguchi wonders what Kenma had done before he came along. 

“I need a favor but you have to come inside.” Kenma grab his wrist and gently pulls him inside his apartment and Yamaguchi, who doesn’t know what was going on, just followed the omega along. With the door loudly shut, Yamaguchi hopes whatever favor Kenma was offering would deepen their little to no relations to friendship.


	9. Chapter 9

_Tsukki!_

_I know you’re reading this and, to be honest, I don’t even know what to write in this letter other than telling you that I’m leaving – somewhere. I know the place, I think, but I researched enough to know it’s safe and peaceful. It’s not exciting and my life there would probably be the same as the one I have here._

_You probably want to know why and I guess it’s a secret I will tell when I’m ready to confront you again. It’s not life threatening but it will change some aspects of my life, here and there. But never harmful… well, unless stated otherwise but for the most part I’m ready to face it head on, really. You’d also ask why I didn’t want you to know in the first place and telling you is the tricky part. I don’t know what your reaction would be and how badly will our relationship break because of it._

_I know you’ll think of me differently at this part of my letter. Childish? I supposed so. I’m an adult and yet have the maturity of a child when confronted with a problem. I keep on thinking about my idea, how it has consequences and the selfishness that devours me a whole lot when I have sleepless nights. I guess… I have never grown up. Maybe I’m always will be the bullied kid in elementary, that cries when people said hurtful words at me and would rather hide than fight back._

_I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But I know you’re going to be okay without me. I know you will. You’re Tsukki!_

_From,_  
_Yamaguchi_

_-_

“Am I bad person, big brother?” Tsukishima asked his brother for the nth time. He couldn’t help but question, really. He feels responsible. A guilt with shaky origins but, nevertheless, burdens his shoulders and heart. Yamaguchi was gone, dealing with something he was afraid on telling him what it was in the first place. Could he be involved with the issue? Was actually he the problem Yamaguchi wanted to run away from?

Tsukishima gulps at the possibility and drank the thought away with a bottle of alcohol he got from the fridge. He was supposed to cut the shit out of his diet but the burn he feels on his throat from the acidity helps cool off the heat in his head. His thoughts were running in overdrive and he knew he was overanalyzing the tiniest of details he could think of for the issue.

“No, you’re not, Kei,” Akiteru reassures him with a pat on the shoulder and tries to take his bottle but Tsukishima budge out of his brother’s grasp. He nestled his drink to his chest, taking small sips before gulping the rest down. He burps, grimacing at the acidity on his throat and his nasty breath.

“Fucking hell, Kei!” Tsukishima only rolled his eyes at his brother’s reaction and placed the empty bottle to the coffee table. He was bloated and his pants are starting to tighten around his hips. “Jeez and to think athletes have strict diet regimens or something. But you finished the entire thing in seconds!”

“Athletes like me don’t drink alcohol,” Tsukishima defended his action and laid his head on the armrest of the couch. The television was turned on but the volume was muted down to nothing. He yearns for the noise the show could give him, drowning the regret for something he wasn’t sure he committed.

“Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that, lil’ bro,” his brother said to him and the two indulge the silence that came in between them. Pausing the conversation Tsukishima knew his brother was trying to get across with him. His mom didn’t try to intervene and instead calls for Yamaguchi’s parents towards their son’s whereabouts. It was a good idea; his mom will be busy facing the omega’s parents while he tries to hide his vulnerability to anyone but his brother.

Yamaguchi’s parents will think he was related to the reason, one way or another. And he couldn’t blame for pointing fingers, he was the omega’s best friends after all and while secrets can be kept from each other. Running away raised a red flag that tells his friendship wasn’t as deep as thought it’d be.

Maybe he wasn’t trying hard enough. He was kind of an asshole to Yamaguchi in their early days of friendship and used to find the omega trailing after him annoying before it changes to endearment.

He sighed, changing his position to stare at the ceiling then got out of the couch. “I’m going to bed.”

“You sure about that, Kei?” Tsukishima looks at his brother whose pheromones indicated his worries and it hasn’t gone down since they went home from Yamaguchi’s apartment. He read the omega’s letter at the car and, well, his shirt was still damp from his tears and he hadn’t touched any of the food his mom prepared for the party. His stomach grumbled but his pushed his hunger on the back of his mind.

He was tired. Completely exhausted and yawns it all out before feeling lightheaded.

“You can stay in my room if you want,” Akiteru offered and Tsukishima shows off a scoff, declining it with, “No thank you,” and left the living room.

Tsukishima glances to the kitchen, peeking through the messy sink with pots and pans his mom had used then gazes down on the meal she prepared on the dining table. There was an extra bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks, Tsukishima didn’t think he choked on his saliva at the sight of it. But his mother had known, throughout the years, that Yamaguchi will always be here to celebrate his achievements.

His head bent down, completely engrossed by the movement of his own feet. He hasn’t been a great friend, he notices. Tsukishima had only called Yamaguchi twice and all of it were short-lived and done at the wrong timing.

Tsukishima enters his bedroom and turns on the light. He looks around, inspecting the dinosaur related decoration he had gathered throughout the years. Chuckling at a few Yamaguchi had given to him, sometimes on his birthdays other times were random and out of the blue. And yet, he never threw them out and he kept some in his apartment. Tucked at a corner of his bedroom.

He jumps onto his bed and laid his head down to his pillow. He heaves out his sadness and inhales them back into his system, shutting his eyes closed and let sleep took control.

\- - - - -

Weeks has passed and Yamaguchi handled his job quite alright. He wasn’t an expert but he never drops any products on the floor and he was precise in managing the cashier. His shifts weren’t bad either, not exactly early in the morning but he never stays late at night. Yamaguchi thinks the Watanabe couple had a long talk about it, taking precautions with his safety, especially with the baby tucked inside his belly.

Sundays were his day off from work and he spent most of his hours with Kenma.

“Are you sure it’d be alright if we go at once?” Yamaguchi asked the omega, observing Kenma completely engrossed on a game from his handheld console. His friend – maybe acquaintance, Yamaguchi wasn’t sure – paused the game and raised his head to look at him.

Kenma hums and goes back to his game to save his progress and shut the device off. He puts his console inside his bag and in return took out his phone instead. Yamaguchi noticed the fast paced typing the omega had done for the password and was quick to tap on an app where the omega showed him messages.

“Uh…” Yamaguchi was surprise at the screen shoved closely to his face and was more distracted by the shiny glint of transparent nail polish on Kenma’s fingernails. He was frozen, overall.

“I messaged the secretary about the arrangements and said that it was okay if two patients can come for consultation in one go if they have relations with each other,” Kenma explained, his thumb scrolling to the start of the conversation before slowly going down to the end. Yamaguchi skims most of the messages, however, his eyes linger at the emojis and stickers the secretary had sent out to Kenma’s short but formal replies.

“Oh,” Yamaguchi voices out and sighs in relief when Kenma placed his phone on his lap. “That’s actually convenient to be honest. I never thought of that – respecting the patient’s confidentiality and all.”

Kenma hunched his shoulders forward, his hands holding on the edge of seat while he glances to his side. “I mean, we’re friends, right? And we can’t lie that we aren’t pregnant since our pheromones can tell us otherwise so there’s no reason to be confidential about it.”

“We’re… friends?” Yamaguchi questions, saying the word ‘friend’ tingles his tongue with excitement. He wasn’t the only feeling some type of way, Kenma’s pheromones have made its way to his side, which wasn’t all that far, really, and he can sense the hesitation from the omega. Along with the tiny speck of fear that lingers and fades away.

“Shoyo said that people who you want to talk to and hang out with are friends and I felt the same towards you,” Kenma said to him, without a hint of a waver on the tone of his voice. He sounded sure, his pheromones change to certainty and it overwhelms Yamaguchi.

Friendship was a concept his adult self was having a hard time grasping. Common interests were usually the strong hold of the relation but, even then, it’s still not enough to bind two people together. It was the same case in his college years, he somewhat successfully managed to become a prominent player in his volleyball team, albeit the most used substitute to break the momentum the enemy team has against them. His float serves were undefeated and everyone in the club seems to praise him for it as was him doing the same with the rest of the players. But outside the gym was simply him walking home alone after a long day of practice.

Nobody dared to ask how he was afterwards. They didn’t even bother to invite him in parties or celebrations that weren’t related to the sport. Yamaguchi had tried, wanting to level up his acquaintanceship with everyone but it seems no one has thought the same. He questions, whether it’s him that was the problem. He compares his days in high school too.

Yamaguchi was shaken by the pair of eyes that stare right through his being. His soul completely exposed by the boldness the usually shy and socially awkward omega had shown beside him. He licked his lips, noticing how keen Kenma was towards the behavior and he forcefully sighs down his anxiety.

“I never thought you’d want me to be your friend,” Yamaguchi confessed, fidgeting with the edge of his shirt. He yearns to feel his baby, trying to find peace with the hard tiny bump that had finally formed on his stomach.

“I like you enough to see you as my friend and I hope you think the same with me someday,” Kenma replies back with a small smile and it was the first Yamaguchi had witnessed from the omega.

Kenma was cute when he’s smiling.

“I don’t know if you’d notice but the first time, I met you was when I was coming home from grocery shopping and saw you heading out from your apartment, I had an inkling feeling that I know you from somewhere but never seem to put a finger on it,” Yamaguchi blurts out, his lips shaking at the revelation as was to the widened eyes and the sense of shock from Kenma.

But he persists, wanting to spill the same enthusiasm Kenma has over their friendship. “Until I saw a calico cat that I finally discovered who you were, not by name, but your position in volleyball during high school and since then I’ve been desperate in wanting to know you better, including becoming friends.”

Kenma stays quiet afterwards, probably digesting the long sentences Yamaguchi had spilled out of nowhere. Well, it was completely in place with the situation but he didn’t know if the omega was fine with the secret. Especially, although lightly treaded upon, Yamaguchi has been conscious with the existence of Kenma that he kind of stalked him.

It was a wonder that the omega didn’t question about it when they first meet.

“Kozume Kenma and Yamaguchi Tadashi?” The secretary calls out to them, looking over her computer. Yamaguchi waves a hand at her direction and Kenma began to stood up from his seat. “The doctor will see you now.”

Kenma was the first to move away from their place and Yamaguchi, in a haste, follows along to the other side of the waiting room, where a door stood closed. He glances over to the omega, looking down at Kenma’s hands fidgeting close to his chest and Yamaguchi did the same with a hand on his pocket, resisting the temptation to slide it under his shirt.

“I’m nervous,” Kenma said out of the blue as he paused in front of the door. “This is my first time going to the doctor for the baby.”

Kenma’s hands unclasped from each other, extending the closest to Yamaguchi with hesitation. “Hold my hand?” The omega requested, sounding unsure with the decision but Yamaguchi didn’t think much of it, really. He reciprocated the gesture, tightening his grip on Kenma’s hand to reassure his friend that he was here, with him – to one of the most intimidating moments of his life.

Yamaguchi shows off a grin, waiting for the worry he sees on Kenma’s face to deflate. Fortunately, it did, but the expression wasn’t much of a smile with the furrowed brows and the narrowed eyes aimed at the protruding bump formed from his hoodie. Kenma nodded as response before replying with another, “Thank you.”

A step towards friendship, Yamaguchi supposed.

Yamaguchi was the first to take the last step towards the door and was the one to twist the doorknob to the side, opening it slowly and peeks his head through the gap. The doctor was there, sitting on his desk with a smile as Yamaguchi’s eyes meet his. He, however, hid his disappointment, seeing a male omega that was slightly older than Takahashi-san with a lanky built and gray hairs on the side.

Suzuki-san wasn’t present as well.

-

Yamaguchi listens to the sniffs from the other side of the dining table. The chopping noises were inconsistent, often times slow in rhythm with the rarity of a fast pace movement at the end. He knew Kenma didn’t want any help with the onions but it takes a lot of his instinct to ignore the stifles and the occasional sounds of blowing one’s nose with a tissue.

He looks down on his task, the potatoes and carrots were all diced and he had already prepped the other ingredients for the curry.

“You okay there, Kenma?” Yamaguchi questions, glancing at Kenma whose attempts in wiping his tears was left unsuccessful. The omega ditched his hoodie for a tank top but Yamaguchi wasn’t sure if it was a great idea with the evident damp patterns on the omega’s arms. Some even dripped down to the side.

“Ye-yeah,” Kenma answers, his voice wavered, trying to sound okay despite the obvious. Kenma pulls down the onion and knife on the table and faces Yamaguchi with an attempt to show off a smile, although it was more of a forced display of his teeth. “I thought I was finally tear-free from the onions but I guess I have yet to endure the vegetable.”

Kenma heaves, his shoulders hunched forward and pouts. The omega’s eyes were red, so were his cheeks and lips. His hair was tied in a low bun but was steadily untying itself from the loose grip of the hair tie. The expression hardens with a huff as Yamaguchi catches the omega looking at his side on the table. Disappointment was radiating through his pheromones and Yamaguchi pats the omega on the shoulder, chuckling at the playful glare Kenma was giving him.

“Well, it takes a lot of exposure and experience to cutting onions to be fine with it though,” Yamaguchi said to Kenma, “People think I was having problems at home or was bullied the morning after my mom wants to me help making dinner. She always makes me cut the onions.”

He holds the omega on the shoulders and pushes him to the kitchen sink. Kenma didn’t mind being guided around his house and was glad to wash his face with cold running water. The omega also washed his hands with soap and Yamaguchi did the same, opting to wipe out the grimy texture off from the palm of his hands. He was done with his task, the only things that’s left was to cook them and hope Kenma wouldn’t put the stove on high just like last time.

“My mom never lets me help her cook but then again I was usually busy off playing video games whenever I have free time from school and volleyball practice,” Kenma muttered, his eyes scrunched closed and his hands busy spreading dishwashing soap all over his face.

Once he was done, Kenma rinse off the suds and wipes off the water with a paper towel Yamaguchi handed to him.

“She always thinks Kuroo would take care of me with my needs so I don’t have to lift a finger around the house,” Kenma continued, crumping the moist towel with a clenched fist. The omega looks down on it, staring at a glossy fingernail with a heavy thought in his head. At least that’s what Yamaguchi assumed from the silence, the sadness that was barely recognizable from the pheromones, dancing around the space between them. It fades then reappears as if Kenma was trying his best to repress the problem.

Yamaguchi simply navigates Kenma back to the dining table, showing off the progress they’ve done so far with their lessons. The onions weren’t sliced thinly, mostly thick and in uneven shapes. There were others who still had the tunic, the first outer layer of the onion; a fact Kenma have managed to search in the internet to learn more about the vegetable.

“At least we managed to finish preparing the ingredients in thirty minutes or so,” Yamaguchi cheers his friend, trying to huddled the omega close with an arm wrapped around his shoulders. He points out the progress Kenma have done. “And you managed to buy the right amount of ingredients and some of them weren’t thin either.”

“I found them on sale as well,” Kenma chimed in, his pheromones indicated the pride he has for himself. “And I was doing the shopping alone but I almost ran away when I saw a crowd of housewives eyeing the sales aisle though. If looks could kill I’d be dead on the produce section.”

“Well, you came out alive and that’s what matters,” Yamaguchi cheers on and the two went back into making dinner. He corrects Kenma’s mistake and volunteered to the peel the tunic from the sliced onions while Kenma readies the pot they’ll use for the curry. The kitchen could barely fit the two and Yamaguchi opted to stand outside of the area, peeking through the omega’s back and listens to Kenma decipher each movement he made and change.

Kenma didn’t yelp at the sound of oil sizzling on the pot, he also made sure the heat wasn’t high either. His hands didn’t shake whenever he holds onto one of the handles while the other stirs the wooden spoon. He looks back to Yamaguchi expecting a praise as the cooking was done and shows off the work he finished by himself.

And Yamaguchi couldn’t be happier to his friend doing a job a well done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i might upload earlier this week since i have free time :3


	10. Chapter 10

He woke up earlier than usual. Even had the energy to cook himself some tamagoyaki for breakfast. Although, he had to take out the tiny eggshells that went down with the yolk. He braced himself for the sizzle, spreading the mixture evenly to the rest of the pan and hope that the fire wasn’t high nor low. His hands were grimy afterwards and once he placed his bowl of rice and the side dish on the table, Kenma quickly washed his hands and went back.

“Finally,” he murmured and took out his phone from his hoodie. The tamagoyaki wasn’t cut in smaller pieces and he noticed that torn parts that he failed to hide. Some areas were darker too. Nevertheless, it was better than before.

He has Yamaguchi to teach how to do it after all.

He angles his camera, trying to get the perfect sunlight and background for his side dish and snap a shot as fast as he could. His hands were getting shaky and hunger became a forefront of his attention. Once he was done, Kenma sent the picture to Kuroo and digs into his breakfast, tasting the side dish first, criticizing the bland taste and oily texture he got.

More salt and pepper and less oil, Kenma notes. He cuts his tamagoyaki with his chopsticks and notices the screen of his phone had changed from its stagnant motion to its moving form indicating Kuroo’s typing. His heart flutters, his throat constricts at any possible reaction the alpha has on the picture. He didn’t tell what it meant, wanting to keep the reveal a tease as long as he could.

 _“What’s that, Kenma?... Tamagoyaki?”_ Kuroo sends out and Kenma ditches his utensils to hold his phone with both hands, tighter with each word he types out as a reply. He licked his lips, grimacing at the tiny pieces of salt still uncooked and solid. However, he continues on with his conversation.

 _“Yeah, you like it? What do you think?”_ Kenma sends, completely holding the phone with one hand as the other slithers and grabs the fork he prepared. He knew this would happen, it was expected, really.

As his heart skips a beat, Kenma tries to keep a calm composure and to stab a piece of tamagoyaki without seeing it. He waits, impatiently. Kuroo wasn’t typing and Kenma thought the alpha was busy handling the rush hour of the morning, Kenma did barge into the wrong time to engage a talk. The alpha would be crushed in between people in suits and uniforms from inside the train where movement was impossible to partake and talking was really frowned upon.

His disappointment was soaring and his fantasy was simply as it is. Kenma should’ve waited, store the picture into his gallery until lunch break and have Kuroo continue to guess what he was talking about. He didn’t need to shove it without the consideration of someone’s schedule. He knew everyone where busy doing nine to five hours jobs and Kuroo wasn’t an exception.

Kenma sighed, somehow managed to stab the entire tamagoyaki with his fork and shrugs at the lopsided sight of it. He ate the entire thing, munching it loudly and gulps it all down with a glass of milk, a beverage Kenma thought the baby needed for calcium.

The rice was getting cold and while there weren’t any side dishes left. Kenma still persist to dig in until there was nothing left in the bowl. The carbohydrates were necessary if he wanted to take a walk around the area for some exercise, he’ll invite Yamaguchi once his friend finished his shift for the day.

He placed kitchen utensils in the sink and stared at it afterwards. His hands hovering over the sink, extending close to the dishwashing soap and sponge. Groaning at the revelation of his decision and the inevitable downside of independence, Kenma simply did the task with sloppy but fast movements. His hoodie was getting damp from the ordeal and he ignored the fact until he was hanging the utensils on the drying rack.

He tiptoed back to the dining table and grabbed his phone, eyeing at the notification he received from Kuroo before lying down on the futon he laid out in the living room. Kenma undressed his hoodie and throws it to the edge of his futon, tucking himself inside the comforter with his attention going back to the screen of his phone.

Kenma has yet to become like Yamaguchi, maybe he doesn’t want to be. His friend, as he had observed from their first sleepover, was a morning person and have done more things than Kenma had finished this entire morning.

He reads Kuroo’s messages, _“Looks like any tamagoyaki I’ve seen my entire life…”_

Then another one, _“Wait… did you made it, kitten?”_

Kenma blushed at the nickname used by the alpha. He heard it during their cycles but he never thought Kuroo could drop so nonchalantly while fully unfazed by any heat or rut pheromones to dictate his emotions.

 _“Yeah… I made it but it wasn’t good though,”_ Kenma sent the message and rolls to the side, his other hand slid through his shirt and pressed his palm on his stomach. He’d seen Yamaguchi did the same when he’s nervous, watching the outline of his hand rubbing the growing bump of his belly and the anxiety Kenma feels from his friend’s pheromones eases down.

But Kenma wasn’t nervous nor in a dilemma either. He was experiencing something else, love albeit one-sided but nevertheless present in the situation. The love he yearns to express and the pride he aches from the other, Kenma simply wanted the validation and attention from Kuroo.

He inhales then exhales through his nose, feeling the heat on his wrist.

The screen changes and Kenma jolts at the sudden upcoming call from Kuroo. He almost hit himself on the face and instantly sits up from his futon. Both of his hands holding on to his phone as he tries to process the sudden change of event, shaking with want but questions the action. Kenma thought the alpha would be busy right now, likely in his office filled with employees that could notice Kuroo slacking off because of him.

Kenma gulps, a thumb reaching toward the red button that decline the call. He didn’t want the alpha to be in trouble because of him. He closed his eyes, letting his instincts and morality take forth of the decision and await at the result.

“Kenma?” What?

Opening his eyes, slowly. Kenma gasped at the sight of the call being accepted. How did that happen? And when he did press the speaker mode?

“Hello? You there, Kenma?” Kuroo questions and Kenma listens to the sounds from the background, albeit a bit muffled but somewhat clear enough to indicate the alpha has arrived in his office. He heard a door being opened then the echoes of shoes tapping on the floor, something creaked too and he speculated at the location Kuroo hid away from his colleagues.

He shook his head, obviously invested at the secretive move the alpha has done for the sake of a phone call. Guilt did trickle his enjoyment but he persists with his own selfishness and continues on with the conversation.

“Yeah, I’m right here,” Kenma answers back, yawning and slowly went back to lying down on his futon. The comforter tucked underneath his chin and his phone laid on top of his chest, his eyes were droopy and his hands were roaming around his flat stomach. He pressed the tips of fingers down on his abdomen, feeling the softness of his belly and wondered when he’ll show too.

“So, you made yourself some breakfast, huh?” There was a tint of amusement he hears in the alpha’s voice and it wouldn’t be hard to imagine a smirk on Kuroo’s face either. He huffs at the tease, listening closely to the chuckle that came after and answers back with a pout, “Yeah… it’s not much though but I’m getting good and I’m also trying to learn how to curry too.”

“Can’t wait to eat your cooking, kitten,” Kuroo’s said to him with a sigh. “Fuck but I can’t wait for very long, Kenma. Was my kitchen not a good area to experiment with your cooking? I volunteer as taste tester too – if it means having you near me.”

“I don’t want you to get food poisoning because of me,” Kenma excused and bit his lip at the attempt. It sounded so uncertain, clearly heard as a lie than anything else and he couldn’t keep his mouth shut to spout another, “And I don’t want to burn down your kitchen.”

“Well, how about I hang out at your apartment then?” Kuroo suggested and quickly managed to add on to his statement before Kenma could even utter a word. “I’ve been wanting to visit you and I’m kinda excited tasting that tamagoyaki of yours, Kenma. Don’t worry, I’m not a harsh critic.”

His hands stopped moving as he was thinking, trying to fight back the urge to accept Kuroo’s request. It’s been weeks since they met up and the behavior was strange for the two of them to stay distant for that long. Kuroo misses him and Kenma longs for the alpha.

“Not yet,” Kenma tells Kuroo, his voice was breathy almost to a whisper. “Until I can serve you a good meal after you come home from work, let’s not meet each other. I don’t want to embarrass you with my crap dishes if I served it right now… I want to be good for you.”

Kuroo stayed quiet afterwards, the minutes passing by so quickly. It frustrates Kenma, leaving him wondering at the reaction he brought out from the alpha. He huffs, sitting up once again with nothing in mind but to let his feelings out by folding his futon. His phone was kept close and he glances at the screen a couple of times during his rearrangement of the living room. The futon and comforter were placed inside the closet behind the TV and he placed the coffee table in between it and the couch.

Once he was done, Kenma sat down on the couch and grabbed his phone from the floor. The call ended but knew it was inevitable. The screen changes back to the messaging app and Kenma notices new messages from the alpha.

_“You’ve always been good to me, Kenma. It’s impossible for you to be anything less than that.”_

_“I don’t mind if you can only do instant ramen, I know your strength is placed somewhere else.”_

_“But I’ll support your idea even if it means going insane from not seeing you, however, I’ll be there in an instant if you want me to.”_

Kenma made a noise. It wasn’t a moan nor a groan, not a yelp either. It was something else and, through it, he realizes his plan has some flaws. He didn’t think of this situation thoroughly and the idea of not seeing the alpha until he can cook a decent meal might be extended than the due time he had in his head. Months were a possibility, years too. Not only that but the baby could get in the way of the deadline, making the distance far longer than he would’ve liked.

Now, he groans. The stress was slowly coming in to taunt him, although mistakes were made as it is a reality of any plan though, especially his own. His hand went inside his shirt once more and find solace at thought of his pup who growing inside him. It wasn’t his baby’s fault, they came of the blue, unplanned and unprepared. He did take birth control during his heat but there was always a possibility of a slip up to occur.

Kuroo will not only get curry for dinner but also have a baby to be acquainted with.

\- - - - -

“Tsukishima!” His coach shouts, causing practice to halt in an instant. Kyoutani was ready to spike the ball to the other side of the court but it seems he was also distracted by the pheromones spreading out in the gym. Konegawa shivers from the glare the coach has eyed them with, one by one, until it landed on Tsukishima who huddled at the back of the court where he wasn’t supposed to be.

Tsukishima, on the other hand, expected this kind of reaction. His performance was lacking, his supposed unbreakable blocks were easily evaded by their spikers and his serves have regressed back to the level it was in high school. He slouches at the attention, narrowing his eyes at his coach whose arms were crossed around his chest with an angry expression to complete the look.

“Well, are you gonna come here or what!?” His coach shouts another and Tsukishima groans, his feet dragging on the floor as he walked to the bench his coach sat. As he faces the man, Tsukishima hears the ball bouncing from behind, the sounds of footsteps and commands were coming back, slowly regaining the consistency and action it had lost moments ago.

He clenches his fists from behind, waiting for the row of insults his coach was known to throw when he’s angry but instead Tsukishima received nothing. His coach huffs, loosening his alpha stance and placed his hands on the sides, patting one to the vacant space next to him.

Tsukishima took up the offer and sat down on the bench, although he places a gap in between them. Not exactly fearing for a fight but his coach’s pheromones have yet to dissolve its sizzling motions of anger and Tsukishima knew better than entice it with his own kind of self-hatred.

“Can one of my best blockers tell me why he’s been shitty lately?” His coach questions, “My other players were also complaining about your depressing pheromones too. So, I guess the problem is not that you’re slacking off but you have personal problems that you’re not dealing well, yeah?”

He answered with a nod that didn’t hold much weight as the words he wanted to spill out of his mouth. His lips thinned to the sigh his coach lets out and pressed his elbows on his thighs, resting his head on the palms of his hands and waits, really. Insults were the least of his concerns and while getting suspended was humiliating to experience, he was dragging his team with his negative mood and behavior. They don’t deserve his shitty performance.

“How are you, Tsukishima?” His coach asked, losing the anger in his tone and shows his concern through his tone. His coach’s pheromones were fading, losing its heat.

“I feel like shit, coach,” Tsukishima replied, “I am shit.”

Tsukishima inhaled then exhaled then jumps out of the bench to stand straight. He faces his coach then bows down, straightening his back and staring at the floor with sincerity. “I’m sorry! But I like to take two days off from practice, coach, to take my mind off things for a while. I’ll be back refreshed and prepared for any punishments.”

“Tsukki…” He heard Konegawa uttered his nickname and felt a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t need to guess who it was and while he scoffs at the pity his teammate radiates with his performance. He stayed put.

“You think I’d let you stay here any longer with that kind of crappy performance?” His coach tells him and click his tongue afterwards. Tsukishima regained his posture, facing the coach once more, waiting for the response he expected. Konegawa wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer and he didn’t fight back at the contact, leaning against the alpha for some relief.

“Go take your break, Tsukishima.” Tsukishima heaves his relief out, cursing out the jolt of panic he dreads for the opposite and felt Konegawa cheers by his side. “Make sure you deal with that problem or I’ll have you run a hundred laps around the gym!”

“Thanks coach!” Konegawa exclaimed as Tsukishima muttered his own gratitude. The alpha drags him to the changing room. The place was empty and Tsukishima sat down on the bench in between the row of lockers. He pulled his athletic glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, massaging the sides of his forehead as a headache pains him.

He sighs once then tries to gaze at Konegawa on front of him. The alpha’s form was blurry but, nevertheless, Tsukishima sees some form of movement near his locker. The sounds of a lock click and the creak of the metal door being open were heard, all of it caused Tsukishima to roll his eyes.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tsukishima retorts. “To think you promised you stop to snooping around my stuff.”

“Hey! I did stop okay!” Konegawa defends himself, “Thought, you’d like someone cleaning out your stuff while you’re taking some time off practice – makes things easy for you.” Tsukishima felt his bag thrown on his lap, wide opened with the entire stuff from his locker placed inside. He positioned his glasses on the bridge of his nose, getting his clear vision back. He looks through his bag again, inspecting each item and was satisfied by the lack of theft. But it wasn’t like he had valuables inside his locker either, so he sighs out the petty annoyance knowing he had more things to worry about.

“Thanks,” Tsukishima muttered.

“It’s what friends are for, man!” Konegawa exclaimed and extended hand at him, helping him stand up and walked to the exit of the changing room. The rest of the team went back to the practice game, their glances were obvious despite the berating coach has begun for their divided attention. Tsukishima did the same, however, looking over to the members one by one until his eyes landed on Kyoutani who nodded at him, offering a smile that the alpha has exerted an effort to perform and went back to practice.

Tsukishima simply stared, mostly shock at the rare form of gesture from his teammate. His mouth gapes a little but he closed it down and just nodded as a response before looking to where he’s headed. Konegawa followed him, also expressing his own surprise at Kyoutani as well.

“Well, you look at that, Kyoutani-kun smiled!” Konegawa points out the obvious.

“Don’t tease him about it or he’ll glare at you,” Tsukishima warns and Konegawa pouts.

“Okay, Tsukki!”

From the gym where they practice to the hall they entered, walking down to the other end of the building which holds the lobby. Tsukishima was glad Konegawa ended up the humming the entire time, leaving him to take whatever kind of quiet he can get for his thoughts. Dreading at the exhaustion his body has been fighting back against and the loss of enthusiasm he has for his job. Yamaguchi took up his entire mind, sleeping wasn’t excluded either and his dreams weren’t anything but fun.

He misses Yamaguchi, badly. Deeply engrossed at the possibility of finding him and beg for whatever sins he had committed.

Tsukishima tightens his grip on his backpack, holding on to the handles hanging by his shoulders and watches as the view of the lobby grew closer until he enters the area. He quickly paces towards the glass doors and presses a hand against it. The door was hot as was the climate the city has been surrounded with, summer has yet to come but the cool weather of spring has been waning every day.

“Take care of yourself, Tsukki,” Konegawa said to him, his pheromones brought out the concern he has over Tsukishima who was conflicted by the emotion. He was touched by it, really, but was also ashamed to have made Konegawa sympathetic for his pathetic self.

“You don’t think I can’t?” Tsukishima bits his tongue at the slight raise of his voice. Humiliated at his question but also to the self-hatred he expressed from the kindness he got from Konegawa. The alpha wasn’t offended by his retort but rather expressed his pity with his brows furrowed and a mouth turned to a frown.

“I know you can, Tsukki, just I wish you’re okay with relying on others, you know?” Konegawa tells him, “I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with an alpha depending on another or with other dynamics either but I guess you’re too smart to hold on to outdated beliefs. Then, again, alphas are prideful beings.”

Konegawa pats Tsukishima on the shoulder. “Just so you know, I see you as a friend and if you got something in your head that you want to spill, then I’m here to lend you an ear, yeah?”

The alpha immediately run back to the gym afterwards, leaving Tsukishima to digest the offer, feeling overwhelmed but overall grateful with the people around him.

-

Tsukishima hasn’t stepped inside his place ever since the discovery and instead seek comfort at his brother’s apartment. He opens the door then closes, heaving out the emotions he felt throughout his morning and slouches his shoulders at the thought of it all. The mystery still hasn’t been solved and they haven’t had the slightest of hints to indicate any reason or motive.

“Oh, you’re back early?” Akiteru came to the hallway connected to the entrance door and Tsukishima was greeted by the sight of his brother in an apron. White powder all across his cheeks and a bit of his collarbone, Akiteru was baking in short. “Thought you’d be home in the evening though; I was trying to make you some strawberry shortcake to cheer you up.”

“Hn, took two days off from practice to clear my head,” Tsukishima replied and his brother sighed, offering a comforting smile than a pat on the shoulder.

“Well, take all the time you need, Kei,” Akiteru said to him.

Tsukishima took out his shoes and wore his indoor slippers he got from the rack near the door. He walked closer to his brother, inspecting his creation on the bowl he carried along and, well, it looks edible. It’s just that he never knew his brother had cooking or the likes as a hobby.

“Thanks…” Tsukishima muttered, unsure if he was willing to break his diet for his favorite dessert. It’s been so long since he ate a slice and he regretted refusing to ate the cake his mom bought for the party. Well, it wasn’t like he was strict with his nutrition at the moment as he stacked a couple of beer cans in the fridge.

“Don’t worry, I made you sure to put less sugar and settled with egg whites than yolks,” Akiteru tells him in a haste and went back to the main area of the apartment with Tsukishima following from behind. Their paths diverge and Tsukishima settled in the living room as his brother went back to the kitchen.

He dumped his backpack on the couch and flopped next to it, glancing at the whiteboard he prepared to uncover Yamaguchi’s whereabouts.

For the past few weeks, he kept on writing and erasing his suggestions. The letter didn’t leave much for any grounded speculations and his theories ranges from somewhat plausible to absurd. Tsukishima took out his phone from his pocket, resting it on his thigh as he began to write a word on the white board with a pen.

_Friend_

Yamaguchi hadn’t confided with him about someone. Not a mention of a name or the likes. It was as if the omega barely had anyone to be with aside from him. The thought worries him, frustrated at the lack of social relations his best friend with anyone else. Foolish jealously aside, Tsukishima would prefer if Yamaguchi would decline his offer to be with him if it meant hanging out with a bunch of people the omega was willing to be with. Kind and honest people who brings the good of the omega.

Although, Tsukishima’s schedule was usually in a conflict with Yamaguchi’s.

So, Tsukishima writes another. _No friends? Colleagues?_

Yamaguchi was tight-lip about work and barely had any complaints about it. Well, as far as he knows.

“How about the former members of Karasuno, Kei?” Akiteru intervened his line of thinking and plops down on the couch beside him. His brother was clean and was in a different set of clothes. The apron was also nowhere to be seen.

Tsukishima went back to the white board, wiping what he previously written. He wrote what his brother suggested with a question mark at the end. Uncertainty, it’s the emotions he feels and spread. The Karasuno volleyball team didn’t have a proper get together since everyone entered college while a few started working. Communication was scarce with all of them and a miracle to occur if ever everyone decided to tune into the group chat.

Yamaguchi might not be a social butterfly but Tsukishima still wasn’t sure with the relevance of old acquaintance, especially one that didn’t stick around for so long. It hurts to think about the good times becoming memories but life goes on without a second to hesitate.

“It’s a suggestion, though,” Akiteru points out but Tsukishima shrugs at his brother.

“I don’t know why you thought about them – you didn’t even suggest contacting Yamaguchi’s teammates during college.”

“Because even I know Yamaguchi didn’t have the best relationship with them,” Akiteru replies, “And I know you tried your best to keep your schedule open just for him.”

“Why do I tell you things?” Tsukishima retorts and heard his brother chuckle as a response. Love was in the air, radiating through his skin and feeling his goosebumps rise up from the feeling. Tsukishima shiver then fidget in his place, it’s been a long time since he felt this kind of emotion from his brother. It disappeared when Akiteru’s lie was discovered and lingers when they got the closure, they needed to mend their relationship.

“Because you love me,” Akiteru teases but there was a hint of sincerity in his statement. His brother was sure of his own words and Tsukishima didn’t doubt that he felt the same as well. “Well, I like you enough,” Tsukishima teases back, witnessing the pout on his brother and smiles for a bit before it pulls down to regain the serious mood of the situation.

He placed the white board and pen on the coffee table and holds his phone with both hands. He navigates through the apps he has and presses the one that contains the group chat the team has made for them years ago. He taps on it, skimming through the scarce conversation the others had done throughout the weeks, pictures were sent and so were small talks related to it.

“They might know something about Yamaguchi,” Akiteru huddles close, laying his hand on Tsukishima’s shoulder. “It’s worth a try.”

And so, Tsukishima sends out a message about Yamaguchi, bringing in the little details he can recall from the situation and sends it without hesitation. He doesn’t have any hope that anyone in the high school volleyball club will know something but he needs the help he can get now.

He doesn’t expect for someone to see his message right now. Time zones were also a problem for others who are living in another country. But Sugawara-san was notified to have seen his message and immediately replied with his own that almost caused him to jump out of the couch. Akiteru holds him tightly, taking hold of his phone with a loud curse as did Tsukishima whose heart was beating quickly, hands clench tighter and toes curled to the inside of his slipper.

“What the fuck!?” Akiteru exclaimed.


	11. Chapter 11

Tsukishima values patience. There’s always a time for everything, at least that’s what he believes. However, he couldn’t wait to do something. His brother wasn’t helping the situation either, keeping his hands busy through the bustles and duties he has with the strawberry shortcake. Curses were heard as mishaps happens to anything he touches. He, on the other hand, stayed seated, resting his fists underneath his thighs as he jiggles his heel. 

He gulps to relax the constrict in his throat, his goosebumps also raised. He couldn’t keep his attention to an object for a minute before he gazes another. Even then, his mind drifts away from reality, swallowing his thoughts with the desire to hold on to a person’s throat with both hands, leaving them completely breathless and their pleas muted from Tsukishima’s ears. But he wouldn’t stop, continuing on to grip tighter until the possibility happens. 

Murder wasn’t a fantasy he indulges himself with. His frustrations were left checked by reason and time itself, dwindling down as the hours and days passed by and all that remains were memories of past annoyances. This was different though; a person was deeply affected despite stating otherwise. 

The doorknob jingles throughout the apartment and Tsukishima heard footsteps running towards the door. “I’ll get it!” Tsukishima didn’t have time to process his brother rushing in and out of his view and as he fully understood the moment, Sugawara-san already bolted towards his direction. 

The omega reeks of distress. Fear was prominent in his pheromones as well. Sugawara-san’s hair was unkempt, his clothes, too, were wrinkled and damp with sweat. His pale face was painted with pink and a clear trail of tears was noticeable even from a distance. 

“I’m so sorry!” Sugawara-san sobs, engulfing Tsukishima with his embrace and nestled his head close to the omega’s chest. Hands were felt on Tsukishima’s hair, brushing it down to his face as he felt Sugawara-san sniffles close to his ear. “I-I knew he wasn’t okay bu-t he made me keep things quiet for e-everyone. I wi-wish I told you sooner!” 

Then, Sugawara-san muttered comforting words to him, pulling him closer and completely rubbing Tsukishima with his pheromones which indicated a mix of desperation and reassurance. 

Tsukishima slouches and rests his back on the couch. He knew they were surrounded by others, all of them radiating their own kind of negativity in the air. And yet, his lips shakes and he sniffles, finally responding to Sugawara-san’s embrace by leaning against the omega and let go of his pride.

He blinks out his tears and cries. His voice was hoarse, his hands clinging on the back of Sugawara-san’s shirt. The omega did the same, albeit rubbing Tsukishima’s back as he hums a lullaby. 

“Why did he leave me!” Tsukishima cries out, again and again. His voice was intangible, his words incomprehensible. His eyes stained with tears and sweat and he had the audacity to wipe it all out on the omega’s shirt. 

“Did I do something wrong…” Tsukishima questions, biting his bottom lips and peels off the crack skin. He tasted something copper, his blood he assumed, and rubs it all off with the sleeve of his shirt. 

“I’m sure it wasn’t your fault, Tsukishima,” Sugawara-san whispered to him before continuing on with his method of comfort.

Minutes passed by and the couch dips as others sat down next to him. All of them trying to speak to him with their own kind words, their subtle pats and rubs on his shoulders and back. Their pheromones also played a huge part in dying down his sobs, reducing to whimpers and sniffles once more. Then, he was managed to face the rest, although his breathing was heavy and his eyes were blurry. 

“Here’s a glass of water, Tsukishima-kun.” Kiyoko-san’s voice was heard next to him and Tsukishima faces a blurry version of the thing she offered. He extended his hand, slowly, and holds it, trying to find the strength to tighten his grip but he can only manage to grapple the glass with the tips of his fingers. 

“How about I’ll hold it for you while you drink, Tsukishima?” Sugawara-san suggested, pulling himself away from Tsukishima’s space. The omega took the glass of water with him. Now, Tsukishima has the expanded perspective of the living room and he sees a few standing on front of him. 

Someone placed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and Tsukishima immediately adjust its position. He can see clearly now and besides from Kiyoko-san and Sugawara-san occupying the area, the rest have also crowded the area near him. Daichi-san was present and so did Asahi-san, he notices Ennoshita-san was wearing his scrubs and Tanaka-san was by his side. Yachi was at the end of the couch, hidden behind by the people next to her. 

His brother was also present but he sees glimpses of the alpha, hidden by Asahi-san’s tall figure. 

He looks down on the glass of water Sugawara-san was holding and he raised his head to stare at him then glances at everyone else in the room. He was grateful at their impromptu decision to come by, all at the same time, knowing that a few might have to miss a meeting or an appointment with someone. Everyone’s lives don’t revolve around the former members of Karasuno anymore and yet they were worried for a friend they haven’t meet in a long time. 

“I’m sorry,” Tsukishima muttered and attempts to clear the constrict of his throat. He blinks out the tears and wipes them all with the long sleeve of his shirt while simultaneously sniffling. His lips shakes but he persists on putting out an apology, “I’m sorry I doubted you guys, I thought you don’t care anymore. Heck, I think some of you just respond to someone’s message in the group chat because you’d pity them if someone don’t.” 

“I’m pathetic,” Tsukishima added, laying his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands together. He laid on his forehead on top of it and stares at the slippers and socks he sees on the floor. 

“I don’t think there’s nothing wrong thinking like that, Tsukishima,” Daichi-san replied and Tsukishima watched as a pair of socks came on front of him. He felt a hand rubbing his back and the gesture calms him. 

“We all had grown apart,” Daichi-san continues, “I’d be more surprise if someone, at some point, doesn’t feel the same as you.” The alpha knelt down on one knee and Tsukishima felt the alpha’s hands holding the sides of his head, however, he wasn’t reluctant when Daichi-san raised his head to face him.

Daichi-san cups his cheeks and wipes the trails of tears with his thumbs. The alpha’s pheromones were clearly controlled by paternal instincts and, in any given situation, Tsukishima would refuse the gesture. But, right now, he gave into the care of his former captain, feeling the man’s callous palms on his cheeks and he even leaning against it. 

Sugawara-san was by his mate’s side and offered Tsukishima the glass of water. “Here, just take a sip, okay?” 

Tsukishima did what he told and stops when the glass was almost empty. Sugawara-san placed it on the coffee table. 

“I’m sorry,” Tsukishima said one more time and Daichi-san sighs. 

“It’s not your fault,” Daichi-san tells him. 

“You’re right, it’s that bitch’s fault,” Tsukishima replies back, growling at the thought of the person assaulting Yamaguchi. Tsukishima was hurt, a sense of betrayal at his friend keeping the incident quiet from him. He wouldn’t judge Yamaguchi negatively. Especially from a moment such as this, when the only fault he had on the situation was being born from a believed weaker dynamic. 

He knew the strong push from the company being omega-friendly was bullshit. 

“I’m so gonna beat her ass if we meet her!” Tanaka-san intervened the conversation, flowing out his anger and excitement. Tsukishima was immediately influenced by the hunger for revenge, clenching his teeth and showing off a grin at the idea. “A traditional alpha brawl, ya’ know. Hands and feet, nothing else.” 

Daichi-san rolled his eyes and stood up. The alpha patted Tanaka-san’s head, grinning with his own kind of excitement radiating in the air. Kiyoko-san flashes a smile before clearing her throat and went back to a stoic expression, but the tiny tint of blush in her cheeks and her mild acceptance flaring up at the idea meant she agreed with the sentiment. Actually, not one alpha opposes to the plan. Tsukishima glances at the rest, watching Asahi-san nodded when their eyes meet and his brother tip-toed from behind and shrugs at him. 

“Okay, alpha, calm down and don’t take off your shirt,” Ennoshita-san mutters to his mate, pulling down the ends of Tanaka-san’s shirt when the alpha jumps out of the couch to roar at the camaraderie. Daichi-san jolted away from the action, ready to scold Tanaka-san but the beta was quick to pull the alpha back to the couch, groaning when his back hit the backrest of the furniture.

“But babe, us alphas are always ready to fight for justice!” Tanaka-san pouts. 

“Shimizu-san, are you okay with it?!” Yachi questions and hovered her alpha closer, spreading her worries to the other occupants of the couch. Kiyoko-san simply took both of her omega’s hands together, kissing the back of it and gave a reassuring smile to the omega. 

“I’ll be fine, dear,” Kiyoko-san responded back, “I’ll stay at the sidelines and made sure nobody gets killed, that’s all.” 

“Oh,” Asahi-san lets out, his fingers started fidgeting and his pheromones brought out the uncertainty within him. The change of heart he has with the idea, Tsukishima didn’t mind it really. The alpha was soft-spoken, the least person who he’d think to instigate a fight or be in one. Nishinoya-san was the person that balances out the alpha’s meek personality. “Thought we were going to talk with her, alpha to alpha, you know – civil.” 

“You really thought that after Tanaka had basically promoted violence the entire time,” Daichi-san points out. 

“Since you agreed I thought you’re gonna downplay his idea to less, you know, brutish,” Asahi explains, his voice raised but clearly trying to die it down to a whisper. His glances to Tsukishima weren’t missed either. 

“I didn’t entirely agree but I didn’t say I phased out the idea either,” Daichi said to Asahi-san, walking up to him and pats him on the back. Asahi-san yelps from the gesture, taking a couple of steps closer to Tsukishima which ended up with a jolt when they made eye contact once again. 

Asahi-san backs away, trying to hide behind Sugawara-san. The alpha holds the omega’s shoulders, bent his head down to align it with the omega’s and released a small number of distressed pheromones throughout the proximity. 

Tsukishima was curious. A bit annoyed at the behavior aimed at him. He was barely feral, although wallowing in his own depression but overall defenseless. His brows furrowed, aimed his narrowed eyes at the alpha peeking at his direction and heard another yelp as a response. Sugawara-san tried to lighten up the mood with a nervous laugh, hitting his elbow at Asahi-san. 

“You’re scared of me,” Tsukishima said to Asahi-san. 

“I think everyone is afraid of an alpha getting emotional because of their omega,” Asahi-san answers, darting his eyes anywhere but him. “Especially if their omega is gone because of another alpha was hurting them. There’s already been murders with that kind of situation.” 

Tsukishima huffs in disbelief. “Yamaguchi’s not my omega.”

“Wait, he’s not?” Tanaka chimed in, “damn! And here I really thought you two were trying to hide your relationship during high school.”

“As much as I wanted to stop my mate from blabbering nonsense, he made me think of a time where I really thought you two were going at it after practice,” Ennoshita-san said and raised his hands in defense. “But it’s not like I’m creeping into your relationship or anything! It’s just… you two have been awfully physically when you both became second years.” 

“I’m sorry, Tsukishima!” Yachi exclaimed and bows her head at him, humiliation and regret becoming prominent in the air. Kiyoko rubs her mate’s back and offers Tsukishima sympathy to what the omega was trying to convey. “I also thought you two were in a relationship! That’s why I don’t hang out with you guys during the weekends since Yamaguchi told me that he usually drops by at your place… that and I always visit Shimizu-san’s university.” 

Tsukishima scoff, feeling heat rise up to his head but nevertheless persists. “Yamaguchi and I aren’t dating or anything like that at all. We are friends and everything’s platonic. Let’s go back to the main topic of the conversation.” 

“Enough with the chit chat of the what ifs, guys. This isn’t what why we are here for,” Daichi-san repeated and everyone quiets down, lowering their volume into silence and their pheromones united by the solemn they have for the situation. Only the former captain can herd the group together and despite the years they’ve been apart, the team never forgets what it’s like to be led by the alpha. 

That, and Daichi-san is scary when he’s angry. Only idiots would try to rebel against his leadership. 

Asahi-san sat down on the loveseat placed on the side of the couch with Sugawara-san occupying one of the armrests. His brother, Akiteru, sat down on the floor in front of the TV. Only Daichi-san was left standing and he was inside the circle the group had managed to form around the alpha. 

“As a cop, I don’t know if we can press charges against Ito-san’s assault without the word of the victim and Yamaguchi clearly doesn’t want to be found,” Daichi-san begins, already dragging their optimism down to the ground. “Calling for police aid for an omega running away is useless, especially with the law forbidding any contact from the omega who voluntarily disappeared in the first place. Even if the omega come back, things will be tricky and complicated. It might take years to file a case, let alone send the alpha to jail.” 

One of the most known accomplishment placed upon for omega rights was the law that helps omegas running away from their homes. Domestic violence was always a possibility whenever there’s an omega in the house, sometimes sadly leading up to murder if left unchecked. Omega shelters were stationed across the city, taking in every omega who wanted a place to stay. Of course, they have to inform the authority first of their situation and could press charges against their abusers if they wanted to but, unfortunately, the choice has always been rarely used. There were instances for omegas to live by themselves without the aid of the shelter but still have to go the police for standard procedures. 

Tsukishima didn’t need to be slapped on the face with the truth. Ito-san might be free for the rest of her life and Yamaguchi will continue on living somewhere far from friends and family. Life goes on until he rots in the ground and yet his soul will remain unrest by the mysteries fogging around his friend’s disappearance. Yamaguchi might be at a shelter or his own apartment, likely trying to find peace after everything that has been done onto him. 

“So, it’s useless then,” Tsukishima whispered and gulps at the realization. 

Daichi-san shook his head and Tsukishima anticipated for another reveal. “Well, not exactly. There’s a loophole, maybe even more. We can still look for Yamaguchi but we have to do it by ourselves, so we can’t contact any cops or private investigators or talk to anyone about this. There’s also been numbers of omegas not informing the police either but simply provided evidences of them running away since there’s been people abusing the system to get them back through police reports and documents.”

“And once we know his address,” Akiteru intervened the conversation, raising a hand and lower it down when he gathered everyone’s attention to him. “What do we do next? If he’s in a shelter then it’s tricky to get close to him. If an apartment, then there’s likely police roaming around his place for protection. What if he runs away again if he knows we found him?” 

“What then?” Akiteru added then stayed quiet. 

Tsukishima bit his lip, groaning at the twists and turns on their search. What if Yamaguchi doesn’t want to be found? Even the letter he received was straightforward with his friend’s intent. He looks down on the floor, already felt their hope waning from the discouragement presented for their plan. They have yet to start and there’s already so much things that’s stopping them.

“Let’s just… hope.” Sugawara-san decided it was his turn to talk. “That he didn’t went to the police, that he’s somewhere in an apartment, and since he only provided Tsukishima with a letter, then, maybe he’s unsure what he’s doing but only did it because that’s was the only option he could think of back then.” 

“So, we’re gonna rely on the what ifs for our search, then?” Tsukishima retorted in an instant and guilt pierced through his anger at the sight of uncertainty on Sugawara-san’s face. Pain by the question that cut through his attempt of optimism but immediately hid it through the smile he formed by the second. 

“I’m… sorry,” Tsukishima apologized. 

“It’s okay,” Sugawara-san reassures him, “you’re right, though, we shouldn’t rely on baseless hopes.” 

“If we try to meet up with him then I suggest having the betas and omegas to be the first to see him,” Kiyoko-san suggested, “I’d think he’d feel threatened by an alpha if they come unannounced and probably emotional.” 

Kiyoko-san’s gaze wasn’t ignored and knew her words were emphasize to him. Tsukishima was offended by the assumptions but with how he acted moments ago, he couldn’t doubt where she based her suggestion. He’ll consider her option; it was for the best. “I agree with Kiyoko-san.” 

“Then, I’ll volunteer,” Sugawara-san was quick to respond, “I don’t mind seeing him. It’s my responsibility to take care of my underclassmen and I failed him instead.” 

“I’ll go too!” Yachi joins in and Ennoshita sighed, looking troubled and said, “I want to go too but I have to check my schedule first if I got a day off or two.” 

“It seems we’re making progress here,” Daichi-san notes and attempts to smile at the lightened mood. There were still some parts of the alpha that was holding himself back at the celebration. Tsukishima and everyone else in the living room waited for another setback. Disappointed but ready to find alternatives. “Where do we start?” 

“If the only one he intended to know about his disappearance is Tsukishima,” Sugawara-san tells him, humming, contemplating and slowly brought his point to the rest. “Then, there’s a chance his department and everyone else in his company doesn’t know about it either. They probably think he simply quit and worked somewhere else.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly, what should male omega parents be called? 
> 
> i'm fine either with mama or papa but I'm still unsure what to decide for future references. so, i'm gonna let you guys vote and majority wins.

Yamaguchi didn’t think Kenma would agree, really. They were still too early to bother about diapers and clothes but he didn’t have someone else to do it for him. It’d be a burden to walk around the shopping mall, completely stretched out and bloated and ready to pop from any mild discomfort. Diapers, as he had known from the forums and blogs he consumed, were always used and easily wasted. Clothes were rarely clean either. Toys are a must as was the thought of a breast pump and bottles for the inevitable arrives.

If he lactates since male omegas usually have a fifty percent chance for that to occur.

“I heard this place is having a sale,” Kenma starts up a conversation. Although, his attention was on his phone, continuously scrolling down a page Yamaguchi notices from a glimpse.

Yamaguchi stopped on front of the entrance, marveled by the displays from the window then to what he can from the inside. He awed, sniffing out the strong scent of baby powder from the store, the sounds of a lullaby played inside and the predatory but professional smiles from salesladies.

“Woah,” Yamaguchi voices out, not exactly overwhelmed but felt out of place from the soft and pastel colored world he was about to enter. “Everything’s so cute!”

“Hm, and usually expensive,” Kenma said to him. “But the discount during sales is high, which is surprising.” Yamaguchi hums, understanding the amusement he feels on his friend’s pheromones. Monthly sales were out of the ordinary especially with anything childcare related.

He glances at the price tag from the clothes the mannequin was wearing at the display window. The original price was scratched and beneath was the discounted price for the sale. And the difference was staggering!

Yamaguchi grimaced, confused but mostly shock. As a customer, the price was win in his part but he doesn’t know if there were any losses the shop had to sacrifice in order to sell something, anything.

“Why?” Yamaguchi whispered, desperate for the truth.

“Some said that the store is a front for money laundering,” Kenma explained and Yamaguchi shivers at the theory. The sales would be nothing but a method used to hide something dangerous and all the clothes he’ll pay for were done to wipe off the blood from someone’s hand. Metaphorically, him and everyone else were accomplices roped into the black market, likely liable for any arrest and could possibly be charged by the actions they didn’t commit.

He shouldn’t have watched crime shows at night. Yamaguchi slips a hand inside his shirt, his fingers trailing around his skin, lightly touching the bulge formed by his baby. He sees a saleslady coming out from the store, carrying a sign that simply says “open” and placed it on front of them.

She offered a smile and Yamaguchi did the same, albeit hesitant.

“Congratulations,” she says to them, her smile widens to a grin and her expression brightens. She was ecstatic by their pregnancies and Kenma nodded as a response, huddling close and using his phone as an excuse to get out of the conversation.

“Thank you!” Yamaguchi took one more step towards her, feeling Kenma gravitated to hide behind his back. There was an awkward pause in between their talk, forcing Yamaguchi to widen his smile whenever their eyes meet and looks away. The lady didn’t seem to mind to unrequited excitement, even preferred to look at the sides with her brows furrowed and muttered something under her breath.

She looks busy, Yamaguchi notes, but he knew she was trying to evade him. She sighed, her straightened back slouched and exhaustion becoming clear through the layer of make-up and professional protocol.

“I-I have to go,” she excused herself and Yamaguchi tensed at the attention. He simply nodded, waving pathetically at her and bid her farewell, “We-well, take care!”

Yamaguchi bit his tongue, watching the saleslady enters the shop as quickly as she could. He can see her sigh in relief, along with the grimace she tried to hide.

“She’s gone,” Kenma points out the obvious, moving away from Yamaguchi’s back and stood by his side.

“Yeah, well, I kinda regret what I said earlier though,” Yamaguchi tells his friend, “I shouldn’t have said ‘take care’, it will be awkward to see her again in the shop.”

“So, you don’t want to buy something?” Kenma questions, confused.

Yamaguchi shook his head and grabbed his friend’s hand, intertwining their fingers. He notices the softness of Kenma’s palm, unlike his own, and pressed their hands together. “Not really but it’s humiliating staying close to people you failed to connect with, you know? Like, it’s best to stray away then danced around the obvious.”

“Oh,” Kenma voices out, “I get what you mean, I tend to avoid other people too but they always have a way to get close to me even I didn’t want to – maybe they don’t get the tension in the air or something.”

“Well, I hope most of those outcomes are good though,” Yamaguchi said to his friend, sounding hopeful, probably desperate as well. He shouldn’t be, not when there’s mutual confirmation with their relationship, the touches would be meaningless if Kenma sees otherwise.

“I like you, Yamaguchi,” Kenma reassures him, bumping his shoulder against his forearm and felt his friend’s eyes staring right at him, penetrating the wall of indifference after being caught. Pheromones were hard to hide and, while some have taken the time and energy to disguise their emotions, Yamaguchi couldn’t do so with his own at a very subtle level.

“I like you too, Kenma,” Yamaguchi responds back and was engulfed by the certainty in Kenma’s pheromones. He chuckled, welcoming the warmth tingling on his skin, the flutters in his heart. His energy was renewed, losing the fatigue and embarrassment from a while ago.

“Finally.” Yamaguchi heard Kenma muttered, loudly. He shrugs off the complaint, sensing his friend not exactly enthusiastic the area they were supposed to be as crowds gathered around inside.

Then, Yamaguchi takes a step forward, moving from one tile on the floor to another. Kenma followed him along, although he was behind in seconds. Nevertheless, the two finally enters, greeted by the cool air conditioning and the sounds of chatter from every corner of the shop. There were expectant parents as were others that has a child in their hips and hands. The customers were rarely alphas and most were betas and omegas like them.

Yamaguchi took one look at a display from his left and saw dinosaur printed shirts and jumpers. And, in a way, he ran.

Well, not exactly. The kids were running in every direction as were pregnant parents walking around slowly. An accident would occur if he began bolting from one side to the other. Yamaguchi just walked fast; his eyes aimed at a shirt with a cute Tyrannosaurus rex raising a star-shaped wand. The clothing was screaming at him, pulling him closer with only a word whispered to his ears.

_Want_

Kenma didn’t seem to mind being pulled. However, as they arrived to the display, Kenma untangles himself from Yamaguchi’s grip and drifts to the side of the aisle they were in. Yamaguchi grabs the shirt, feeling the soft texture in his hands. There were other details he didn’t noticed from afar, like the dinosaur was smiling and there was a trail of stars behind the wand. Yamaguchi was in love. He faces Kenma and shows off the shirt to his friend, completely giddy at his discovery.

“Isn’t it cute?” Yamaguchi questions, snuggling the shirt to his chest.

“Mm, yeah, it is,” Kenma responds and took out the toy he hid from behind. It was a stuffed toy, a calico cat to be precise. Their eyes were closed, a tint of blushed was sewn on their cheeks and they were smiling. Kenma hugs the toy, resting a cheek on top of the cat’s head. The price tag was planted on the cat’s ears and Yamaguchi was relieved to see that the price was lower than he expected, he checks his shirt and found the same.

He let out a sigh, finally holding on to the shirt he can’t wait for his baby to wear. It’d be the first thing, he hopes, with a pair of shorts he’ll found somewhere in the shop.

So, the two went on with their shopping, grabbing their own carts for them to carry their stuff and just enjoying their time together. Discussions of certain products and the reluctance they’ll face when they saw something they want. Their budget was small and their wallets and interest were guarded by the restraint they face whenever a saleslady approaches them, predatory and professional all expressed on their faces.

They purchase everything they could afford for their first shopping trip and the walked out of the store, knowing there was a dent in their savings. Their pockets were getting lighter and the bags they carried with both hands were heavier.

Nevertheless, satisfaction was drawn over their faces.

They left the shopping district. Yamaguchi snakes an arm wrapped around Kenma’s, pulling his friend closer as they gathered around a crowd walking to the direction of their apartment. The suburban place that wasn’t far from the city but takes kilometers to reach there entirely.

“Thanks,” Kenma said to him and Yamaguchi responded with a smile. “No problem,” Yamaguchi added. The more kilometers they covered the less people moving along with them, leaving the two omegas to be by themselves as they reached their apartment building. They hiked up the stairs, panting and sweating from exhausting night out and enters Kenma’s apartment without a hint of courtesy. All of their bags were dump on the couch as Kenma sprawled at his futon laid out on the floor.

Yamaguchi yearns to laid his back down on the futon, more so as Kenma invited him to laid on the vacant space on the side. And yet, he refused with an excuse, “Maybe later, I’ll get us some snacks. I’m kinda hungry.”

“I still have some onigiri left in the fridge,” Kenma suggested and Yamaguchi went to the kitchen to prepare something for them to eat.

\- - - - -

Kenma heard the microwave dings, signaling that the food Yamaguchi heated up was done. He listens to the hums and the curse that soon followed. Kenma peeks out to the kitchen, watching his friend places the three onigiri he had made the afternoon lined up in one plate. A large bottle of tea was also seen in the counter as was a bag of potato chips next to it.

“Do you need any help?” Kenma questions, already standing up and walked up to the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of tea and potato chips with both hands.

“You didn’t let me answer, first,” Yamaguchi pouts and Kenma chuckled, playfully rolling his eyes at the display and hears a huff from his friend. “And here I thought a student wouldn’t disrespect their master.”

“Let me consider other options when you’re not pregnant, teacher,” Kenma teases and quickly went back to his futon, placing the food on the floor as he sets up his portable table. Only, the bottle was left standing on the floor.

Yamaguchi soon came and sat down next to him, the plate of onigiri were placed on the table and the TV was turned on. The volume wasn’t raised but it wasn’t completely muted either, Kenma didn’t raise any concerns with the decision and Yamaguchi watches the drama shown on the screen.

A pregnant omega loitering around a clinic, their neck was shown and so was their ring finger void of any ring at all. Hesitation was acted upon and soon the conflict follows, the lack of a mate and the decision to flee from the place in order to have a better than they had before. The alpha was in love with them but everyone else seems to enjoy separating the two apart.

Kenma heard a sniff then another, Yamaguchi’s pheromones have also turned foul. Sadness and regret were emitting to his side of the futon and his throat constrict from the feelings around him. He glances to his friend, moving closer and seeing the tears glistens from the light of the TV. He wrapped an arm around Yamaguchi’s back and felt his friend’s head laid against his shoulder, the whimpers he hears from underneath and the attempts to wipe all of his tears with sleeves of his shirt.

“It’s okay,” Kenma whispered, planting a kiss on top of Yamaguchi’s head as he rubs his friend’s back. “I’m here, Yamaguchi. I’m not going anywhere so… let it all out, yeah?” Yamaguchi’s pheromones have lightened up from the negative emotions, however, it still lingers, tickling his skin and raising his hair from the proximity.

It didn’t take long for the cries to fade into nothing, leaving Kenma to hear it echo in his head. A memory he’ll saved for the future. Yamaguchi slowly back away from his hold, sitting straight with his face completely damp from tears. His eyes were glossy and a bit red. But he continues on to present Kenma a smile,

“Thank you,” Yamaguchi muttered to him and Kenma nodded, slowly. He was waiting for an explanation; his patience didn’t run thin but his curiosity might have passed through his friend.

“You can tell me when you’re ready to talk, Yamaguchi,” Kenma tells Yamaguchi, “excuse my curiosity.”

“No… I think it’s time for me to tell someone,” Yamaguchi responds back, sounding determined and he obviously was. The pheromones don’t lie and as his friend drinks the bottle of tea into half, he went back to looking at Kenma, fidgeting but overall anticipating at the reveal as well.

“Tsukk-no, Tsukishima’s the father and he doesn’t know about the baby,” Yamaguchi confessed, looking down on his fingers, lightly touching where the bump could be on his shirt. His friend then flattens his shirt down to his skin, rubbing the outline of the tiny bump in his stomach.

Once the reveal was out of his friend’s system, Kenma notices the panic in Yamaguchi’s pheromones, dancing around the room, clutching the relief he had for telling the truth. The glances at his direction weren’t hardly subtle and he could hear the loud inhales and exhales his friend done to keep himself calm. Kenma stayed quiet for now, processing the information he had been told.

An omega willingly staying by themselves was odd from the start but Kenma knew it wasn’t his business to point out the obvious, especially with a situation like this.

“Oh,” Kenma simply lets out, noticing his friend nodded at the word. “You don’t want him... to know about the baby?” Kenma gulps afterwards, hoping his question wasn’t intrusive at the moment.

“You don’t have to answer my question, if it’s makes you uncomfortable, Yamaguchi,” he quickly added, placing a hand on top of his friend’s, intertwining their fingers together.

“It’s okay, Kenma,” Yamaguchi responds back, “you’re my friend – you have the right know, that’s all…” Yamaguchi reciprocated his gesture and moves closer to him, both of them facing the other with a hint of light from the TV.

Yamaguchi continues on with the discussion, inhaling first before exhaling all of it. “I-I don’t think I’m ready to tell him and I’m not so sure if he’s okay with the baby, we’re not lovers and have only find comfort with each other during our cycles.

“I do take birth control and Tsukki always use condoms but I guess the baby was simply an accident waiting to happen, I don’t know if it’s a miracle either. But I’m here, buying them clothes and other necessities because I want to,” his friend added then sigh, leaning against the edge of the couch and stares at the TV. Kenma did the same, trying to stay engross with the conversation but knows there’s always a pause in moments such as this.

It helps, Kenma admits. Talks weren’t always in fast motions; spilling opinions at each other and hope they could find a solution for something. Sometimes, a conversation fades into the silence, watching primetime drama on the TV and wait for the climax to occur in the episode. They have yet to leave the topic for another day and the touches they’ve done soothes out the emotions filling in their pheromones, Yamaguchi finds solace in letting out his struggles.

And, well, Kenma was itching to have someone else to know why he’s here.

“Kuroo and I have the same arrangement,” Kenma starts, “and now, I’m here.” He looks at Yamaguchi as was his friend doing the same to him, eye to eye. “I want to show him I’m good at doing chores so I can return the favor but the baby was a surprised, I’d never thought would happen.”

“Oh, Kenma!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, standing on his knees and engulfed Kenma with his embraces, pressing Kenma’s head on his chest. “I’m here for you – you know! I always will be.”

“I know,” Kenma mutters, his voice muffled from Yamaguchi’s shirt and sighed at the grip tightened around his back. He didn’t mind and planted his hands-on Yamaguchi’s hips, hoping to push back for some space to breath in.

“We’re here for each other and… if there’s someone looking for me, would you tell them that you don’t know?” Kenma proposed in a whim. “And if ever someone was asking me about you then I’ll act ignorant and I’ll answer the same.”

“Kenma,” Yamaguchi calls out to him in a whisper, loosening his grip and kneeling down on the futon. His brows furrowed and confusion was prominent in his pheromones as was the shock he has on the idea. “Why?”

Yamaguchi might not be a local in the city but he couldn’t rely on that alone. His friend had become a volleyball captain during high school and has managed to make their team a powerhouse during his time, even becoming a formidable sub during college. There could be someone out there that knows him whether it was through the sense of hazy memories or close familiarities. Kenma might not be social butterfly but his friends from high school and even classmates from college have spread out all across the city, it’d be impossible to not across one of them either.

“The both of us are hiding for a reason,” Kenma explained, “If either one of us wanted to be found, we’d already notified the others of our location weeks, or days, ago but we’re still here.”

Kenma watches Yamaguchi’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he gulps, clearly conflicted but there was a hint of resolution he had sense on his friend. The nod that was done slowly, reluctant at the decision, and the hug Kenma groans from being a part of. His arms hovers at the space outside the embrace and he groans again at the long duration Yamaguchi had done for the gesture.

Once Yamaguchi lets go, he kissed Kenma on the forehead and faced him. “When the two of us are ready to face the world, we’ll tell, okay?”

Kenma nodded and answered, “okay.”


	13. Chapter 13

Kuroo groans when he rolled to the other side of the bed. The sounds of his alarm ringing throughout the entire room, gnawing the part of his brain that was tempting him to go back to sleep. The warmth of his comforter has yet to cool down and his curtains were fairly dark enough to block the light of the morning. He raised his head but opted to plop it back to his pillow, letting a hand navigate around the nightstand, trying shut the alarm from his phone off.

“Fuck,” he muttered when the alarm was silenced. Still, the ringing has yet to fade off his head and the adrenaline formed from the sound have made him aware of the clock hanged on his wall. He has time, he really does.

Kuroo shouldn’t panicked at the hour and a half of time he could do his morning routine but instead of wasting another minute on his bed. He chose to plant his feet on the cold wooden floor and throw his comforter to the edge of his bed, letting himself exposed to the cool breeze in his room. He shivers, hugging himself as he tiptoed to his window and drags the curtains to the sides.

“Damn,” Kuroo cursed under his breath, his eyes squint at the light shining on front of him, hurting his vision for a second before drifting his attention at his neighborhood coming to life. The sea of people on the sidewalk as well as the noise that accompanies it. His body have warmed up from the heat of the sun, although his nipples are still hardened by the cold.

Kenma would’ve reminded him to wear a shirt when going to sleep but it seems old habits were hard to change. He never had problems with the cold before and sometimes sleep with only his boxers and wake up fine despite the low temperature.

“Man, I’m really getting old,” Kuroo said to himself, sighing down at the thought. He was in his mid-twenties, not exactly ancient but the difference of his teen self and the person he is now is staggeringly different.

Although, the changes were hardly anything bad to be honest but rather inconveniences that comes along with aging. Damn, he was getting philosophical.

He walked away from the window, taking his phone from the nightstand and leaving the room entirely. Breakfast was something he prepared in a slow manner but it was mostly because Kenma had something ready on the table. A toast usually but there was the occasional cereal the omega was accustomed to, although a last resort when he’s in a hurry.

So, he heats up two slices of bread on the toaster, took out the butter from the fridge and let it rest in room temperature and waits for his meal to be ready. He drank two glasses of water and refills his glass for the third time and place it on the side of his table. The preparation was done and now he has seconds to spend his attention away from food.

He checks his phone, noticing the notifications from work already piling up but nevertheless skims through the announcements and changes his office had made for the day. Kuroo left his emails for work hours and jumps into a messaging app, hoping to be the first one to greet his kitten.

Kuroo sends a text.

_Good morning_

The toaster dings and Kuroo took out his toast with a pair of tongs and placed his food down on his plate. The butter was melting and he gathered a generous amount on his butter knife, spreading it all one side of his meal. He looks at his phone, watching a part of his screen move, indicating that Kenma, somewhere, was messaging him back and Kuroo quickens his preparation.

Once he was done, he almost threw the butter knife on his plate and grimace at the scraping sound he accidentally made. “Shit,” Kuroo cursed and wipes off the grime on his hands with a paper towel and holds his toast with one hand afterwards.

_Good morning, Kuroo… I made tamagoyaki again and it taste better. I also have natto too._

Kenma sends two pictures of his breakfast and Kuroo chuckled, giddy at the thought of the omega finally taking one step closer in achieving his goal. Albeit, he has yet to master the other recipes but it seems the tamagoyaki was somewhat perfected in a short amount of time. There was any burnt marks nor torn parts and as far as Kenma had told him of the taste, it was better than he expected; balanced seasoning and wasn’t oily.

Kuroo sighed, looking down on his toasts. He was losing his appetite, reluctant to take a bite. It would’ve tasted better if Kenma was the one to have made it for him, Kuroo was sure of it. But right now, his whines were shrugged off and hurriedly finish his toast with big bites.

He drank his water afterwards and went on to reply Kenma’s message with a call. Kuroo also chose to engage the conversation in speaker mode.

Kenma accepted the call without hesitation.

“Kitten,” Kuroo calls out to the omega in a whine. “I really, really want to taste your cooking!”

“Patience is a virtue, Kuroo,” Kenma tells him, hearing the chuckle that came afterwards and groans at the smile he imagined on the omega’s face. Kuroo ate his second and last toast, grumbling at the buttery taste and the sandy and dry texture. He drank the rest of his water and felt hungrier than before.

“I know, kitten, I know,” Kuroo muttered and pouted. “But I wouldn’t mind tasting your food despite failing one thing or another, you know,” Kuroo added, his voice lowered down to a whisper. He could’ve growled, he wanted to growl at Kenma to know how serious he was with his sentiment.

He walked up to his fridge, opening the door and glances at the food inside but nothing entices his appetite. He sighed, frustrated, and closes the door. He turns around, looking back to the stuff on the table and felt nothing, really. He wasn’t satisfied with how his breakfast turns out and wondered why.

Breakfast might not have been the grandest meal he was used to during his childhood when his mother makes it for him. But the repetitive meals consisting of toasts and water had never bothered him when he was in college and started working. His stomach grumbled and he pressed a hand on his stomach, questioning the yearn for a food that was on the tip of his tongue.

“I know and that’s why I don’t want you to eat it unless Ya-my teacher considers it perfect.” Kenma stutter in the middle of his talk and quickens the rest after it. The breathy sigh from the omega and the sounds of clanks and a chair of being dragged was heard from Kenma’s side.

Ya?

“You have a teacher, Kenma?” Kuroo questions, his brows furrowed at the new information that the omega slips up and inevitably revealed to him. “Are you the only student he’s teaching? Does he have proper materials and ingredients for you to use? Is he safe to be around with? Where is his studio? Does he even have one or use his house instead?”

Questions spilled one after another and as he stops to rest, Kuroo let out a sigh. He rushed in washing the dishes, placing his phone close to the sink with his attention clearly divided by the silence he received from Kenma. He clicked his tongue and almost dropped his glass when he placed them on the dish rack. As he was done, he placed the butter back to the fridge.

“Kuroo, do you trust me to be fine by myself?” Kenma questions and brushed his bangs off his face, annoyed at the evasion but nevertheless persist on with the conversation with a reply, “Of course, Kenma, I trust you – but I don’t trust your teacher.”

“Because you haven’t met them yet?” Kenma asked another and Kuroo settled back to his seat, facing the screen of his phone and watched the seconds waste away from their talk. Kenma dislikes the unnecessary worry people always have over him, the over-exaggeration of fear for the omega to leave the comfort of familiarity and dependence he was used to.

Kuroo noticed the growing rage. The discomfort Kenma always tries to hide with the niceties he displays on the people he likes despite known for his harsh tones and straightforward response on a bad day. Kuroo knew he was responsible, always wanting to show the omega that he was a capable alpha who could do as he wished and others have followed the example. As if it was the only way they can communicate with the omega.

“Yeah, and I don’t know what kind of person he is too,” Kuroo replies, “but… I’m sure you’ve done your research about them, extensive and meticulous before applying to his lessons.”

“Hm, kinda like that,” Kenma answered back and Kuroo sighed in relief, knowing he didn’t get close the sensitive topic but also brushed a part of it. “He’s a good person, an omega as well. He doesn’t mind my mistakes and I like his optimism – he reminds of a mellow version of Shoyo.”

“Guess Shoyo is part of the criteria for friends then.”

“Shoyo is a good friend,” Kenma tells him and a pause came after but the mood was sweet, Kuroo supposed. It was as if Kenma was next to him, talking about ideas and work he had done while he was in the office. He imagines the omega still wearing his pajamas, his hair in a disarray and eyes still droopy from the night of work and play.

Kuroo missed him. A lot. And knowing he was somewhere near but also far was hurting him. His hands aches to feel the omega’s skin, to memorize the details on his face and maybe pressed a kiss on Kenma’s forehead, hoping his lips tingle from the gesture afterwards. If he was bold enough, he’d plant a kiss on Kenma’s lips.

“But don’t worry, Kuroo. I made a criterion for something else that only you have achieved,” Kenma continues in a haste. “Anyways, I got to go or else you’ll be late for work, Kuroo. Bye.”

Kenma ended the call before Kuroo could say anything in return and, honestly, it was for the best.

\- - - - -

They were in a café on front of Yamaguchi’s former company. The coffee he ordered was left untouched, its steam fading away as it cools down. Sugawara would’ve expressed his shock at the price he had to pay in order to get the view but Tsukishima didn’t seem to be on the mood for small talk. And so, did he. His throat constricts at the tension between them. The air that was hard to breathe in with the agenda clearly the reason the two of them weren’t willing fully settled in the café.

Sugawara looks at the time on his phone with anxiety churning the insides of his stomach. His hands were cold. He licked lips, observing Tsukishima from the other side of the table, looking distracted on the cup of coffee he ordered. The alpha’s pheromones were riddled with the uncertainty and worry they have for their plan.

Who wouldn’t? If either of them slips up about Yamaguchi’s disappearance, they’d be in trouble with authority.

“Sugawara-san,” Tsukishima calls out to him, dragging his name slowly. “If you’re scared, you can always back out, you know. There’s nothing wrong with thinking of the possible consequences and prioritize your children and mate first.”

Tsukishima gulps afterwards, presenting off a forced and small smile to Sugawara. The alpha tries to air out comforting pheromones at his direction but it wavered, gradually thinning until there was nothing left to display the façade. It didn’t help that Tsukishima was clearly lacking sleep from how dark and big the bags under his eyes were, the disheveled hair than his usual kempt look, and the clothes wrinkled with lines formed in certain parts of his shirt.

His lips were chapped too and Sugawara notices that Tsukishima bit his lips throughout their time in the café.

“Tsukishima,” Sugawara replies back, “I know you’re worried about Yamaguchi and so do I – and I don’t want to stand on the sidelines knowing Yamaguchi trusted me enough to be his emergency contact despite not being in close contact for years now.”

Emergency contacts shouldn’t hold that much value. However, omegas see it as a lifeline, in a sense, as assault and harassment were still a common occurrence in public spaces. Often times, leaving the omega defenseless and in a state of anxiety and panic. It wasn’t the same as betas and alphas who brushes that part of any paper off with ease, a type of normalcy that omega couldn’t afford to have when exposed to many people they weren’t familiar with.

To omegas, who was put under the emergency contact section by another omega, it is seen as an honor. That despite being in the same dynamic, they were chosen to protect their loved one. However, it was still risky, that a situation might be too dangerous for any other omega to be involved in and many omegas were told to write someone else who were betas and alphas instead.

Sugawara hadn’t been someone’s emergency contact before. It wasn’t lesson he wasn’t taught with, even as a teacher who had to deal with kids who were all in the budding age of presenting. He was only briefed about it, here and there, from college to the being a teacher and parent. Some facts were alarming and others were questionable but surprisingly worked for others.

Yamaguchi was his first and he failed. “I want him to know he has me whenever he’s in need, that he shouldn’t have apologized to me when I was called in and be informed of the harassment he faced. I should’ve been angrier at the punishment while the alpha managed to get away. I have to find him first to tell all of that, though, and this is the only way.”

Tsukishima nodded at him, astonished by his speech and so did he. Sugawara hadn’t open up his feelings, even when Daichi wanted him to let it all out in the comfort of their bedroom. But it seems he didn’t have the problem with Tsukishima, maybe it was because the alpha had it the hardest at the discovery.

Because Sugawara had seen Tsukishima break down at the loss of his best friend. The pain that radiated throughout the entire living room back then, how Sugawara had to calm himself down and regulate his breathing before he could be swallowed by the anguish Tsukishima was airing out.

He cleared his throat, opting to change the topic by looking down on his down on his phone to check the time. It was almost time.

“I should be going,” Sugawara announces and stood up from his seat. Tsukishima looks up to him, his face blank from an expression but Sugawara didn’t need to study the alpha’s face to know of the hope he was clinging to.

“Take care,” Tsukishima said to him and he nodded as a response. He walked, slowly, but managed to maintain a rhythm he was okay with. The pace wasn’t fast neither slow, a moderation that made him think of the chance to back away from the trouble he’ll face as well as the desire to meet Yamaguchi again.

The heat from the outside wasn’t pleasant but it helps warms up his hands which were shivering from the cold. Sugawara tucked them inside his pockets and sighs in relief at the success of entering the company without any thought of defeat. He walked up to the receptionist and asked, “I’m here to fetch Yamaguchi Tadashi’s things and, uh, I’m Sawamura Koushi.”

His teeth were chattering, his tongue sliding through the insides of his mouth as he watches the receptionist checked something from their computer before looking at him.

“Sixth floor, hallway to the right, you’ll find the only door available,” they instructed and Sugawara afterwards muttered, “Thank you.”

Sugawara went to the elevator hall, pressing the button next to the sliding door and waited for it to open. He glances around the place, content to find there’s barely any people coming in and out of the company at the moment and he was pleased to enter the elevator by himself. He pressed a button for the floor then the doors closed, leaving him jostled at the elevator moving to the destination.

When he arrived, Sugawara jumps out of the elevator, moving in a haste to the area the receptionist had told him. His hands clenched and bulged in his pocket then pulling them all out from his pants to bother the edge of shirt instead. He noticed the door, knocks on it a couple of times before opening it, immersing at the attention he got just from taking a step inside the office.

He looks around, feeling smaller by the foreign environment he pushed himself into and yet persist to walk up to the person near to him. A beta, who seize their fast-paced typing and turned their office chair to face him with thinned lips. Sugawara paused at the sudden confrontation. Maybe his presence was unlikely to ignore, his footsteps was probably louder than he would’ve thought from the carpet floor and still responded to the gesture with a nod.

“May I help you?” The beta asked, quick and cold.

“Uh, I’m here to get Yamaguchi Tadashi’s things?” Sugawara answered, “he couldn’t come to the office right now but really needed to get his remaining stuff for his new job.”

The beta sighed, deeply. Loud enough for him to assume they weren’t pleased with the interruption but they still pointed at an empty space from a table a few feet from theirs. He sees an opened box, probably something he could put Yamaguchi’s stuff inside, and went his way without another word. The beta didn’t seem to mind the lack of gratitude Sugawara display, although he doesn’t care at the scoff he sees from the corner of his eye and the mutters that came along.

When he reached Yamaguchi’s table, Sugawara inspect the space provided for the omega. There weren’t a lot of stuff to dig around. In general, the area was mostly empty, lacking the life and mess he could’ve assume Yamaguchi would’ve done to his place. The crumpled notepads weren’t exactly important and he wonders if people decided to throw their stuff at the vacant space than the trash bin provided below. However, he still placed them all inside the box, hoping he can find a hint from the writings.

Sugawara sighed, trying to weight out the defeat he had for the plan. He was the one who proposed it, he was also the person to have made the appointment to get Yamaguchi’s stuff and basically lied to the company of the omega’s whereabouts. Fortunately, they didn’t need much confirmation and have immediately gave him the day and time for him to snoop around.

Now, the emptiness he sees on the table mirrored his team’s success. He wonders if he could ask for small plastic bag than the box, he didn’t want to give Tsukishima false hope at the sight of it. He doesn’t want the alpha to spiral another level of depression.

“Oh, who are you?” Amusement creeps into his skin and Sugawara shivered at the excitement building up around the air. All of the betas, who couldn’t detect the pheromones, have changed their attitude with their blank faces, the obvious sign of dread for the person behind him. They all paused their work, bent their head down while continuing on glancing at the person who asked him a question.

Sugawara gulps, pulling the box close to his chest, and faces them.

**Her.**

“Hi,” Ito-san greeted him. “I think I know you from somewhere,” she added, humming and cupping her chin with her fingers, and smirked. She eyed him, up and down, moving closer to look down on the contents of the box and Sugawara hurriedly move them to the side, trying to hide whatever was inside from her gaze but it was too late. He acted too slow and the chuckle he heard from her all felt wrong. He felt disgusting hearing it.

Her brows raised, tilting her head as she changes her expression to confusion. Even her pheromones have expressed her curiosity.

“Oh, you’re friends with Tadashi, right?” Ito-san asked and despite the innocent tone of her voice, her true intentions was transparent. The desperation and authority that hides behind the niceties she presents; the smile and the hand she laid on top of his were used to lure him to do what she wanted.

“Ye-yes?” Sugawara stuttered his response, noticing the casual use of Yamaguchi’s first name. He hasn’t heard Tsukishima call Yamaguchi that, so why should she? Who barely knew the omega well to have been granted the permission to do so?

He stood sill, unsure what to do and because of it. Ito-san managed to wrap an arm around his shoulder, pushing to another table near the door of the office. She made him sit at a vacant office chair while she placed a granola bar near to him.

“You must be hungry,” she said to him.

And Sugawara shrugs, placing the granola bar on the box and muttered, “Thank you but I already ate.”

He stood up, trying to come up with the excuses he could give to her but she planted a hand on his shoulder, her fingers digging through his shirt and felt her fingernails on his skin. The chair and everything else around him hold much of her scent mixed with the perfume she was using, his nose stings from being surrounded of it and his head throbbed from the intensity. Sugawara gulps, her anger raising his goosebumps and the kind expression turned solemn.

Her eyes narrowed at him all the while her smile turns to a grin.

“I’ve been wanting to have a conversation with Tadashi after what I did to him but then he decided to tuck his tail behind his legs and resign before I could do it,” Ito-san said to him, her voice lower and with a growl he could hear. “I’m going to be in a rut a few weeks from now and if Tadashi realized that being a miserable sex doll for the alpha, he’s fiddling with is humiliating then tell him, I’m offering him a spot in my bed.

“I’ll be the one to finally mark the nape of his neck,” she tells him, arousal sprayed in her pheromones and Sugawara holds his breath, trying not to gag at the excitement she has for her plan. She stares at him, licking her lips and her hooded gaze expressed her lust. “Although, I don’t mind another one to play with – it’d be more fun to tame someone who is owned by another alpha.”

Sugawara slaps her hand away from him and run away, shaken by her proposition. He holds the box tightly and pants each large step he takes towards the door and slam it shut behind him. He flinched at the sound but continues on to get away from the floor he is in. He drags his feet to the elevator hall; his hands clenched on the sides of the box and felt his armpits damp from sweat.

His heart was beating fast, his toes curled at the seconds wasted and curses when the elevator finally enters his floor. The sliding doors opens with only one passenger inside but he didn’t care to be seen nor does he mind at the knowledge that she was an older omega displaying his concern at him.

“Are you alright, dear?!” She exclaimed, hovering at his side but Sugawara just stares at the doors closing. “What were you doing back then? Did someone hurt you?”

Sugawara looks at her from the corner of his eye, noticing that he was taller than her in height and yet with what strength drained from the confrontation made it possible for the woman to wrap his arm around her shoulder. She helped him stand up which he didn’t know he was failing to do so and holds the rail on the other hand. The box falls down on the floor but the impact wasn’t harsh from its light weight.

“Were you fired, dear?” She asked again and, this time, Sugawara answered back, “No, just picking some things for my friend, he resigned weeks ago.”

“Is… he an omega, dear?” She sounded hesitant but at the same time straightforward with her question, her gaze was intense as was her pheromones that flurry to his side. Her worries were understandable and felt her sadness brushed against his skin. Omegas tend to overshare their emotions with one another, it was a quality that easily brought out their sympathetic nature which many sees as a form of weakness.

Alphas wouldn’t understand. Betas were usually divided.

“Yeah, some alpha was causing him trouble and I guess he had enough of the bullshit going on at work,” Sugawara explained, hearing the woman scoff at his words and notice at the scowl aimed on the floor.

“Did the alpha get in trouble?”

Sugawara snorts, bitter at the humiliating Yamaguchi had to go through. “Not exactly but my friend had to forcibly take a few days off to ‘clear his head and scent’. Yamaguchi barely smelled anything, really! He fini- “

“Yamaguchi Tadashi?” Sugawara became quiet afterwards, the sounds of the elevator rumble in the background. They stared at each other, eyes widened and mouth gaping. Her pheromones changes, a sense of hurt he was curious to know about and the distress that came with it.

“He didn’t tell me he was harassed at work,” she whispered and Sugawara move closer, pressing his ear near her mouth, listening into the shaky breath that came after her talk. He waits for another, anticipating for a revelation that could help his team’s search.

“I thought the reason he was running away was because he is pregnant…”


End file.
